


BABYSITTER ༄ D.KS

by 01SEULGI



Category: A Pink (Band), EXO (Band), Miss A, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 소녀시대 | Girls' Generation | SNSD
Genre: Cheating, Cute, Cute Kids, Divorce, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy, Love, Neighbors, Post-Divorce, Singing, Single Parent Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Single Parents, Students, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:48:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 72,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27246034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/01SEULGI/pseuds/01SEULGI
Summary: burdened with what seems like the worst of the worst, single father do kyungsoo not only has to sing at his former wife's wedding but is in need of a babysitter.the quiet and demure neighbor jung ara - lonely, peniless and possibly the best one for the job.[ORIGINALLY POSTED ON WATTPAD]♡ 2020 © 01SEULGI
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Son Seungwan | Wendy, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Original Female Character(s), EXO Ensemble/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. babysitter ༄ note

****

**WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR**  
Hi! This is my first ever AO3 book so forgive me for any grammatical and or spelling mistakes; I'm very new and crap at this. Thank you for giving my book a chance and I hope you'll enjoy it very much so!  
ROSE

 **SYPNOSIS**  
burdened with what seems like the worst of the worst, single father do kyungsoo not only has to sing at his former wife's wedding but is in need of a babysitter.  
the quiet and demure neighbor jung ara - lonely, peniless and possibly the best one for the job.

 **DISCLAIMER**  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

2020 © 01SEULGI


	2. babysitter ༄ cast

**DO KYUNGSOO** as _do kyungsoo_

__

_**HARU LEE** as do kyungri_

_**BAE** **IRENE** as jung ara_

**SON NAEUN** as _im juhyun_

**EXO MEMBERS** as _exo members_

**KIM TAEYEON** as _kim taeyeon_

  
**BAE SUZY** as _choi yuna_

**SON WENDY** as _son seungwan_

**CHOI SULLI** as _park mira_

—»

RIP sulli x 


	3. babysitter ༄ one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the first chapter of babysitter <;; ! i hope you guys enjoy as much as i enjoyed writing it (;

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**"KYUNGRI!"**

Raking his salon styled dark hair, Kyungsoo swiftly ran through the soft carpeted ground of his apartment floor. The small, pigtail clad girl waddled past childishly as giggles left her small mouth. Kyungri heard her father, that's for sure. But did she care?

"Come back here! I _really_ need to go to work, and you're not even changed!" Kyungsoo screamed after her.

"No!" She laughed carelessly as her hair fell behind her in raven sweeps. As Kyungsoo darted behind her, his arms scooped the three year old and picked her up. Kyungri shouted in protest, but the only thing he cared about was that he caught her.

"There we go," Kyungsoo deadpanned before setting the child on the floor and grabbing her hands tightly. "Now. You know Min is waiting for you, right?"

Kyungri struggled to get out of her father's grip, so she complied. "Yes."

"So we need to go."

Dragging her through the floor whilst ignoring her desperate cries, Kyungsoo's phone buzzed in his pocket. The caller was Min. Before he was able to even place the phone on his ear, Min's rambled words were heard.

_"Kyungsoo, I know this is extremely late and you have every right to_ _hate_ _me, but I can't babysit Kyungri today!"_

Kyungsoo's eyes furrowed in confusion at the late notice. "What? Why?"

 _"My grandma's seriously ill and I need to take her to hospital,"_ she continued, her voice evidently distressed. _"I'm really really sorry!"_

An empathetic pang of remorse overturned the feeling of annoyance to Min as Kyungsoo heard those words. He let out a defeated sigh. "It's fine, Min. Take the time you need, and I hope your grandma makes a speedy recovery."

 _"Thank you,"_ was what Min uttered next before the line went dead. In his hand still held a young child that no longer had a babysitter to look after her. As if her father _wasn't_ panicking, Kyungri chewed softly onto the ends of her silky black hair — her ( _inherited from her father_ ) wide eyes were darting side to side.

"What the hell?" Kyungsoo continuously muttered whilst scrolling down his contacts list in hope that he'd find an unemployed, money needing friend that also is child–friendly. He contemplated his currently unemployed friend, the practically infantile Park Chanyeol who lived in the outskirts of Seoul with his parents. However, Kyungri was quite scared of him due to his lanky stature and creepy smiles.

 _Byun Baekhyun?_ Baekhyun was a work–at–home guy, living with his girlfriend of five years, Taeyeon, who was _still_ waiting for a ring on her finger. However, Baekhyun's short temper was something that wouldn't work well with Kyungri; someone would be dead by the time Kyungsoo arrived to pick her up.

The rest of his friends were either working, or Kyungsoo didn't really feel comfortable asking them. Lastly, his ex–wife's contact stopped at his finger. _Im Juhyun_. The picture of her smiling excitedly at the camera — a photo taken by _him_ several years back when they were newly weds, and she was pregnant with their first child. Several years felt like centuries to him. The blissful days where Kyungsoo was actually happy. Until the fights...the crying...the screaming. And the divorce.

It wasn't until two months ago when the divorce was finalized. However, it was a year ago when Kyungsoo's ex–wife, Juhyun, moved on and began dating his old high school friend, Junmyeon. Of course Kyungsoo was pissed. He used to consider Junmyeon as one of his brothers. They were like two peas in a pod, the pair. When he confronted his friend about it, all Junmyeon did was shrug his shoulders and pull an uncaring face at him.

 _"Love is love,"_ Kyungsoo recalled Junmyeon telling him without a care in the world. _"Let's face it. You and Juhyun were never meant to be. It's better like this."_

Kyungsoo even remembered his clenched fists as his now most hated person in the world spewed such apathetic nonsense to his face. But what he did was turn his heel and walk straight out of Junmyeon's villa, where he spotted Juhyun about to enter. _Have a happy life_ , he remembered thinking as his eyes narrowed at the sole person he once loved the most in this world. Not anymore.

Now Junmyeon and Juhyun were to marry after a year of _perfect dating_ , termed by the pair. Everyone, even the stormy ex–husband were invited. They were all going, but Kyungsoo was inclined to decline the invitation and stay in his home, drinking to his hearts content until he didn't remember anything. Maybe not that much drinking, due to the existence of Do Kyungri, but some alcohol was needed.

He exhaled painfully as the memories seeped back into his mind; deciding not to ever keep in contact with his ex, he locked his phone and placed into his trouser pocket. Kyungri was still in a little trance, unaware of anything.

A door open and closed loudly, a clumsy girl slipping out and tripping over her laces onto the floor. Kyungsoo just watched in pure second hand embarrassment, and a little bit of amusement. She automatically flushed upon seeing the pair, her eyes widening. She stood up again before wiping down at her trousers and giving an awkward grin. _Ara_. His next door neighbour.

She was a short and slight girl, smaller than Kyungsoo which was quite rare due to his size. Her hair was an artificial chesnut brown and she usually adorned light colored clothing to compliment her pearly white skin. Age wise, Ara was younger than Kyungsoo by a few years — she turned twenty–one a couple months back and almost finished college, whereas Kyungsoo was twenty–six.

"H--hey," Ara stumbled.

Kyungsoo's eyebrow quirked up, looking down to see the black bin bag clutched tightly in Ara's hand. "Need any help there?"

"No! I'm good, thanks," she replied quickly. She then advanced to Kyungri, still very much in a trance, and gave her a childish grin. "Hey, Kyungri!"

The small child simply waved. She knew Ara because they lived on the same floor, but Kyungri was an awfully shy girl that squirmed when human contact was inevitable. The only people she felt truly safe with was Kyungsoo and her mother. However, it was becoming apparent that Junmyeon was edging his way into her life.

"Where are you guys off to?" Ara questioned Kyungri in an exaggerated high–pitched voice. The latter looked up to Kyungsoo desperately.

"I've got work, and Kyungri here is stuck with me," he answered, teeth biting into his bottom lip in worry and stress. Taking your child to work _wasn't_ convenient in any way.

Ara stopped talking for a second before shrugging her shoulders and pointing to her door. "If you want _I_ can keep an eye on her while you're gone. All I have to do is a couple assignments, but I can watch over her."

It was almost as if God felt sorry for Do Kyungsoo that day. All of the worries piling up in his mind were thrown out into the air surrounding him. He was so glad he almost pulled Ara into a hug, but refrained. Instead, he bowed.

"If that's alright with you."

And with that, Kyungsoo released his hand from Kyungri's small yet tight grip and made his way downstairs, realizing he was late.

—

"Look, you _have_ to go to the wedding."

Kyungsoo's workmate and good friend, Kim Jongdae, took a seat in front of him at the café they'd visited after work to get a coffee. Jongdae was a bubbly guy; he represented everything Kyungsoo wasn't — fun, carelessness and freedom. Yet, he was very wise.

"Why should I?" Kyungsoo retorted once he took a sip of the steaming hot coffee. "It's my ex–wife! And my ex friend! Would you go to Yuna's wedding if she got married?"

Yuna was Jongdae's notorious ex. They'd dated on and off for four years, and everytime she got an _ounce_ of freedom because of his multiple business trips at the start of his career, she would cheat. Jongdae was heartbroken – obviously – still, he loved her. So it took several breakups until they finally broke it off for good. Jongdae still had immense love for her, but he knew it wouldn't last.

He was silent at Kyungsoo's question. Then he shook his head and gave him a stern look. "It's not about me, okay! Yuna and I's relationship was much different to yours. We weren't even serious."

"Four years isn't serious to you?"

"Well _she_ wasn't serious," Jongdae shook it off sourly whilst drinking his iced tea with a straw. "Anyways, you and Juhyun have always been friends even before you two started dating. At the end of the day she's still Kyungri's mother and you owe it to your daughter _and_ yourself to be there for her."

Kyungsoo sighed. _Why did Jongdae have to be so wise?_ "I guess you're right. But I'm not congratulating Junmyeon. He's an asshole."

"I know," he chuckled. "Nobody's expecting you to. Junmyeon's a weird one."

"Weird is an understatment. He's a wife stealing, spoilt dick—"

"—okay, okay! We get it. You don't like him! Refrain on the language though, Kyungsoo. You're a father."

Ever since Kyungsoo became the first one to have a child, all of his friends used it as a sort of guilt trap to keep him in line. He wasn't allowed to drink with them anymore, he was practically banned from watching soccer games because of his competitive nature, and they teased the fact that he became a lot more alert since being a father, and called him the dad of the group. Condescending, yes. But it was fitting.

The pair left the café and entered Jongdae's cedar wood smelling car. The car started up and they found themselves zooming through the highway.

"So," Jongdae began. "The guys are meeting up now, wanna come?"

Kyungsoo faced him, thinking carefully in his head who the _guys_ were. "The guys meaning...?"

"Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Minseok, Sehun—" he stopped abruptly. Then chuckled a little. "Oh yeah, Junmyeon's gonna be there."

"Sorry, I have a daughter to take care of," Kyungsoo answered sharply. No way in hell will he ever hang out with the wife stealer. "Maybe next time. When I'm not tied down to Kyungri. _And_ certain Junmyeons aren't there."

Jongdae let out a sharp exhale. "You're so petty, Kyungsoo, has anyone told you?"

"Petty to you...perfectly reasonable to me."

Once his neighbourhood was in clear view, Jongdae parked his car to let Kyungsoo out. He simply waved his friend away and walked into the lobby of his apartment. He hoped Kyungri didn't cause any issues with Ara which would be extremely awkward and inconvenient to him.

Kyungsoo reached his floor and strolled towards Ara's door. Knocking it, he heard footsteps and a grinning Ara opened it for him. Hanging on her back was Kyungri. _Wow,_ he thought _, they made friends quick._

"Thank you for looking after Kyungri," he gratefully smiled. Ara just waved him off.

"No, it was great. If you ever need a babysitter..."

"I'll definitely notify you," Kyungsoo finished before eyeing his daughter. That was if Min wasn't around. "Kyungri, say goodbye to Ara."

The small child, however, shook her head in protest. Embarrassment washed over his face upon seeing this, so he tried again. To no avail.

"C'mon," he began to beg. "You need to eat. Sleep."

Ara pulled Kyungri off her back and put her on the floor. Yet, she refused to leave the home; instead holding the girl by her leg.

"I gave her food," Ara admitted. "Just some dinner because she was hungry."

Suddenly he panicked. "T--there wasn't any nuts in the food, right?"

Kyungri was sadly one of the many that aquired a verocious nut allergy that, if it wasn't treated quickly, would land her in the emergency room with aphyxiation...or worse, in a coffin. Luckily Kyungsoo was a very attentive father and made sure any sort of nut would stay well away from her. He's managed well throughout these three years.

"No, just some rice," Ara replied to Kyungsoo's great relief. "Why? She's got a nut allergy?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks for the information. Just in case."

The atmosphere soon turned quiet — awkwardness filling the air. Kyungri was still holding onto Ara's leg like a monkey to a branch. The latter bent down and began whispering to the child. She was nodding profusely at Ara's words and then suddenly grabbed onto Kyungsoo's hand finally.

"Thank you," he said; Ara just tilted her head casually. "By the way, do you take cash or card? I need to repay you for what you did—"

"—no, no! It's absolutely fine," Ara quickly retorted with a waft of her hand. "Honestly, we're neighbours."

"B--but..."

"But nothing," she assured him. "I'm not a shop, Kyungsoo. I won't take your money."

That shut Kyungsoo up for good. He took a liking to Ara; she was sweet and caring to Kyungri. The fact that his daughter even managed to warm up to her meant something. He hastily thanked her yet again and allowed Kyungri to tearfully wave at her new friend.

Ara just grinned. "See you. And bye, Kyungri!"

It seemed like Kyungri really was under her spell, because when they'd entered the apartment, she was chanting Ara's name like a mantra. _Kyungsoo had some serious competition_. The door knocked, startling the pair.

"Go to your room, okay?" Kyungsoo ordered his daughter, her just slouching off without another word. He started towards the door and unlocked it to reveal Juhyun.

She looked flustered — her perfectly curled raven locks sitting over her shoulders, her expensive outfit looking like it could cost his whole apartment, and her symmetrical face with goddess–like features that reminded Kyungsoo of all the times men used to hit on her even when he _was_ clutching tightly onto her hand, yet because of his height he wasn't seen as intimidating. That was soon changed after a few altercations. Juhyun was always carefree, and would flick her hair flirtatiously that never failed to anger her husband.

She didn't look very carefree in front of him, though. Her usually smiling face was replaced with an anxious frown. Her manicured hands were fumbling with each other.

"Hi," she whispered, fear laced in her voice. Kyungsoo found himself pitying her and opened the door wider to let her in. Juhyun stalked in with her high heels and took a careful seat on the edge of the sofa.

"What's wrong?"

She exhaled and then let out a fake laugh. "What's not wrong? My wedding's in a _month_ and today the entertainment cancelled on me! Do you know how long it took me to find entertainment? It took me more than a month, I'll tell you that."

"Oh," was all he could say.

"Oh?" Juhyun spat rudely. " _Oh?_ I'm sitting here emotionally distressed and _scared_ and all you can say is oh?"

"What else can I say?"

Subsequently, she stood up to slightly tower him because of her heels. "I don't know, be a lot more helpful! For all the years I've loved you I can't believe you're not even being supportive."

"Supportive? I don't know if you seem to forget, Juhyun, but we're divorced!" Kyungsoo found himself screaming, not even considering the fact that Kyungri could possibly hear. "I no longer have to deal with your problems. You have Junmyeon for that."

It seemed those words stuck Juhyun hard, because she sat back down and began to contemplate. A brisk sigh followed. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just so stressed everything's ticking me off, and I was wrong to scold you when you didn't even do anything."

It's been such a long time since the two actually sat down and spoke for more than five minutes since the divorce, so it soon became really weird and unnatural for them voluntarily being with each other.

"Before I leave, I actually came to request if you could sing at our wedding?" Juhyun blurted out cautiously to Kyungsoo's dismay.

"What?"

"We'll pay and everything! It's just that there's no chance in getting entertainment in such short notice and you're an _amazing_ singer, even Junmyeon agrees! Please, Kyungsoo. I've never requested anything from you since we seperated and I'm sure as heck that I won't afterwards...but just this?"

The look Juhyun was giving to Kyungsoo affected him a lot because it reminded him of the days when she'd requested things from him, and he would always say yes.

Which was the word he uttered next. When Juhyun left after ages — she even hugged Kyungsoo which made him tingle slightly — he flopped down onto the couch.

Singing at his ex–wife's wedding? _Great_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u so much for reading! pls let me know what you thought in the comments,, ly all <3


	4. babysitter ༄ two

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**"MIN, TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED."**

Kyungri's babysitter, Park Minji ( _or Min_ ) cancelled again that week because of her grandma. She explained that the doctor diagnosed the frail woman with an aggressive case of pancreatic cancer, which debilitated her organs and was slowly doing its damage. Min had to look after her.

"Darn it, Kyungri," he frowned as the phone went silent. Picking his daughter up wearily, Kyungsoo held her close to him. "I guess you're off to Ara again."

Those words caused her to squeal in joy, squirming out of her father's hold and running out of the room.

"Wait!" He followed after her. "Let me unlock the door first."

Unlocking the door, Kyungsoo allowed her to roam free through the landing, and he watched her knock excitedly onto Ara's door. The door remained closed. She knocked again. And again. _Nothing_. Kyungri desperately turned back to him and frowned, her single–lidded eyes glassy with tears. It seemed she was anticipating the time she'd be having with Ara; not anymore.

Once Kyungsoo scooped her into his arms, she sobbed fervently on his shoulder, the wetness beginning to seep through his clothing. He matted her hair down gently to console her and bit his lip. God was testing him again today.

He put the sniffling Kyungri down and kneeled down to her level. "Today we're going to explore the world, okay?"

Although the 'world' was Kyungsoo taking her to Juhyun's. But it stopped the child from crying and a smile etched onto her cute face. She ordered him to pick her up all the way downstairs and to his _(rarely used)_ car. She was being awfully clingy the whole drive to Juhyun's house, and Kyungsoo was almost sure that her clinginess would cause a car crash if she wasn't careful.

Luckily the house was nearby and only took a quick ten minute drive. The house didn't even deserve to be called a house — it was more like a small town. The property expanded through several acres of land to be a luxurious, six–bedroom home that Kyungsoo used to live in once upon a time. The cozy apartment he called home suddenly felt as small as him.

Knocking on the door, he hesitated and waited for his ex–wife to open the door. She did; the normally made up woman bare–faced and fresh. Kyungsoo recalled the days he used to see this face first thing in the morning, the praises spilling out of his lips when she felt insecure about the spots dispersed around her face — the imperfections and flaws making him love her even more.

Juhyun smiled wanly at the two, widening her arms to let Kyungri hug her. Afterwards, she faced Kyungsoo. "Hey."

"Juhyun, I'm sorry for imposing at such a random time. It's just that I really need to go to work and nobody's able to look after Kyungri. Is that okay?"

"It's fine, and you're just the man I wanted to see," she explained. "Come in."

Kyungsoo uncomfortably looked at his watch — the limited edition gold watch given by Juhyun on their first year anniversary as a married couple — and shook his head. "I--I really can't. I need to be at work."

She shrugged all of his worries off, just like she always did. "Don't fret, Kyung. I'm only stealing you for five minutes or so. Junmyeon can give you a ride to work if you're so scared about being late."

A car with Junmyeon and Kyungsoo was like putting a tiger and a piece of succulent, raw meat in a small room. Someone was going to die.

"No, that's quite alright," Kyungsoo attempted to sound nice, but the tone of annoyance and a slight tinge of jealousy was evident. "I've got my car anyways."

"That old thing? It's like driving a freaking cardboard box. Junmyeon's got a sport's car!"

"And I have ten minutes to get to work!"

Juhyun wouldn't have it. She dragged him into the house, her arm still draped around Kyungri, and locked the door behind him. The house was as elegant inside — the marble tiles and unscathed white furniture. It was a miracle that Kyungri didn't ever ruin them when she stayed over every other week. She jumped onto the sofa and hugged one of the pristine cushions decorating it.

Junmyeon sat on the platinum sofa expectantly. Clad in an expensive outfit, one leg was crossed over the other and a knowing grin was on his face. Standing up, he outstretched a hand.

"Kyungsoo," he uttered, expecting a handshake. But Do Kyungsoo was never going to touch Junmyeon for as long as he lived. So he pretended the hand wasn't even there and just nodded. Junmyeon, humiliated, retracted his hand and cleared his throat.

Juhyun wasn't impressed. She slapped the back of Kyungsoo's head lightly. "Be polite!"

"Sorry," he mumbled under his breath. "Anyways, what did you want?"

"Oh yes! Junmyeon wanted to thank you for saving our butts. Darling?"

The word darling was cringe–worthy enough. On cue, the wife–stealer stood up and bowed awkwardly at Kyungsoo. He cleared his throat yet again. "Y--yeah, what Juhyun said. Thanks, Kyungsoo. I," he put an arm around her shoulders, "no, _we_ are very appreciative of what you're doing for us even though we've had a...turbulent relationship."

Kyungsoo nodded. "You could say that."

"Anyways, we're just really grateful," he continued softly — he then turned to Juhyun and gave her a sweet smile. "Even after the divorce, you're still able to help us."

The shorter was beginning to get really uncomfortable at the public display of affection shown in front of him. But nonetheless, he etched a smile on his face.

"No, no. It's fine," he waved off the praises thrown to him. "It's the least I could do." Although it felt like it was the hardest thing to do ever.

Sometimes when Kyungsoo lay on his bed late at night, he thought about the memories shared between his ex–wife and him. Ocasionally he reflected on their current relationship; did he still have feelings for her? Of course, he missed her _so_ much. He tried to deny it, but whenever her face came to full view, Kyungsoo's heart beat abnormally fast, his hands shaking and teeth biting into the soft skin of his lips. But he couldn't be a homewrecker. Even if Junmyeon practically was.

Juhyun clapped her hands before detaching from Junmyeon's arm. "Anyways, I'm going to boil the kettle. Kyungsoo, at least stay for some tea. It's crysanthemum. Your favourite!"

Little moments like that were the worst for him; the moments where she continuously surprised him with the small tidbits she remembered of him. It almost felt like nothing changed. When everything did.

Kyungsoo sighed briskly, taking a look at his watch to see how late he was. Ten minutes...maybe he should message Jongdae to cover for him. Junmyeon's eyes darkened scarily as the previous innocent beam was replaced by an evil smirk. He tapped his perfectly polished shoe onto the laminated wooden flooring.

"So..." he trailed off. "I hope you do end up coming to the wedding. Though I won't blame you if you don't — _I_ wouldn't go if I were you."

Kyungsoo was appalled at what he was saying. "Are you being serious, Kim Junmyeon? Is this another way of you getting one over me?"

Junmyeon just knowingly shrugged. "No, just telling you the truth."

That was the last straw for Do Kyungsoo. Picking up Kyrungri who was admiring the soft lining of the cushions, he marched straight out of the front door without even having some of Juhyun's amazing crysanthemum tea. He put the now snivelling Kyungri in the back seat of his car and strapped on the seatbelt.

Juhyun became aware of his disappearance and left the house, shouting his name. "Kyungsoo! What's wrong? I told you to stay for the tea at least!"

"I'm not thirsty," he answered in monotone.

"What about babysitting Kyungri?"

"She wants to stay with me."

Juhyun wasn't convinced, however. Years of education towards a law degree meant she was sharp and conniving; extremely skilled at reading peoples' facial expressions and vocal tones. But when there was nothing she could do, so she turned on her heel and entered the house.

—

"Kyungri, stop eating the paper!" Kyungsoo scolded from the front seat when the pair were getting back from his workplace. She was especially annoying today; her shouts and screams beginning to irritate Kyungsoo's fellow workmates. Even Jongdae rolled his eyes numerous times at him when he'd failed to quiet down his daughter. Kyungsoo left that workplace embarrassed and pissed off. Kyungri just ignored him, happily crunching the inedible pieces of paper found sprawled around the backseat.

There was a surge of rain pouring down central Seoul that late afternoon, people sloshing about outside because of the large puddles being formed. The windshield wiper pushed back and forth to clear the window. The depressing weather just added to Kyungsoo's depressed mood whilst he drove through the violent rain.

Suddenly his eyebrows furrowed driving past a bus stop. _Was that Ara?_ A shivering girl stood at the stop holding her arms and drenched in rain. Slowing down, he took time to analyze the freezing cold girl to confirm his suspicion. As usual, he was correct. There, Kyungsoo parked in front of the bus stop and opened the car window.

"Need a lift?" He quipped in concern at her probably battling frostbite state. Ara's eyes softened quickly and she complied.

"Thank you," she muttered once Kyungsoo began driving again. He shrugged his shoulders like this was a usual samaritan thing he did.

"It's fine. Where were you today, anyways?"

"I went to visit a friend downtown...I didn't expect the rain to be this crazy."

A little chuckle left his mouth. "Agreed. It's pissing outside."

Kyungri, who was silent, squealed upon seeing her new friend. She attempted to jump off her seat to squash Ara with her love — however, the three year old was restrained by the handy invention of the seatbelt. She'd not learnt to unbuckle herself just yet, to Kyungsoo's relief.

"How come you haven't bought a car yet?" Kyungsoo questioned curiously. He thought it was purely essential to have a car by the time you were of age to drive.

Ara frowned. "I'm currently struggling to make ends meet with the expense of living in Seoul. With the bills, I have _just_ enough for leisure. Not including a car, though."

"You go to university, right? What are you studying?"

"A degree in teaching currently," Ara answered. "I'm looking to become a teacher one day."

"Teaching whom?"

"High school hopefully. Maybe younger. I'm not really sure at the moment; I'm still thinking."

A small silence filled the car after her words as Kyungsoo swerved through their neighbourhood. The rain had began subsiding to their relief. Afterwards, he parked the car in the apartment's private car park and locked it once everyone was out. Kyungri was desperately hanging onto Ara, refusing to let go. Kyungsoo watched awkwardly. _She's never been so willing to hug me_ , he thought bitterly.

They walked side by side into the apartment complex and upstairs to their floor. Kyungsoo's phone vibrated in his pocket so he picked it up in confusion.

"Hello?"

 _"Kyungsoo!"_ It was Juhyun. _"Because you left so early, I didn't even get to tell you about the pre-wedding luncheon. It's in two days, and I would love if you came. Take your friends with you too."_

Biting his lip, he sighed. "Where is it?"

_"Junmyeon rented a really swanky room in a high–end hotel downtown. I'll send you the address."_

"Alright. I'll check my schedule and get back to you."

 _"Thank you! Hope to see you there!"_ Juhyun logged off, leaving him to contemplate whether to go or not. He looked at Ara who then initiated eye–contact with him.

"You sounded pretty down," she joked.

"Yeah, going to wedding luncheons isn't _exactly_ how I'd like to spend my Saturdays," Kyungsoo admitted lightly.

"Ooh, a wedding. Someone close to you is getting married?"

He tiled his head, hoping not to break out in a smile. "I guess you could say that...my ex–wife."

The new information was probably huge to Ara because her normally big eyes expanded further. "You've been married? I didn't know that."

"How else does Kyungri exist?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I thought you've been a bachelor your whole life. I didn't really see you as a divorced man."

Kyungsoo didn't know whether to be offended or pleased. "I get that a lot."

They both reached his door and he unlocked it to let them all in. Kyungri was still hanging tightly on Ara, and he didn't want her to have another screaming fit.

"Where does your ex–wife live?"

"Oh, you know those big houses at the end of the neighbourhood, the ones everyone knows?"

"Seriously?" She gasped. "She must be really rich."

"Her _dad's_ really rich," Kyungsoo corrected tactfully. Juhyun was always a very spoilt child — what ever she wanted she got.

"If you don't mind me asking, when did you guys divorce?"

She was now sitting carefully on the lounge sofas, her hair still wet and clothes damp from the rain. Kyungsoo sat across her.

"A year ago we seperated. She began dating one of my close friends then, so we decided to divorce with shared custody of Kyungri. It was finalized two months ago."

"Wow. She moved on really quickly."

Hearing that was quite painful. "Yeah..."

"Are you still friends with the guy?"

"Not really," he cringed. "After she began dating him, our relationship just kinda tattered in pieces."

Kyungsoo wasn't very sure why he was telling Jung Ara, a girl who he never really paid attention to unless one of them needed milk or eggs, his life story. However, he felt somewhat safe talking to her — it was almost like second nature spilling out all of his miseries that occured throughout his agonizing twenty–six years of living.

Quiet overcame them before he quipped up. "What about you? How come you live alone even though you're twenty–one?"

"Uh, I don't know where to start. My dad...he's suffering from early onset Alzheimer's. He got it when he was just forty–five after a lot of stress related problems. One of the reasons why I ruled out ever owning any sort of business seeing what my dad went through."

Kyungsoo stomach whirled in sympathy and compassion towards Ara, who's demeanour completely changed. Her shoulders hunched up and her eyes teared up a little.

"After that, he retired and my mom and older sister currently look after him at home. My mom is paid as a carer for him, whilst my sister also works. I was offered a place at a Seoul university so I took it as soon as I could. I want to make enough money and send it home, so we can get specialist treatment for my dad."

Ara sighed sadly before continuing. "Forty–five is way too young to die, you know? My dad's always been there for me since I was young and this is the least I could do for him."

"You're really brave," Kyungsoo replied comfortingly. He couldn't ever imagine something tragic like that happening to his family. "I really wish that your dad does recover."

"Yeah. I wish too."

—

An hour later filled with talking and warming up to each other, Ara stood up to leave. Lucky for her, there wasn't a clambering Kyungri begging her to stay because she fell asleep ages ago, her small self bundled up in blankets on the sofa.

Kyungsoo walked her outside of the apartment. "It's been great getting to know you, Ara. At least I don't know you only for somehow charming Kyungri and giving me groceries when I'm in need of it."

She let out a laugh, agreeing. "Same to you. I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, and please tell me the days you're free so I could drop Kyungri off when I have work."

"Sure," Ara complied. "Have fun at the luncheon. I'm sure you'll enjoy it more than you let on."

"Impossible. But thank you. By the way, if you're free on Saturday, you should really come. It's open invitation and I was told to bring my friends. I guess we can class each other as friends now, right?"

"Yeah, we can," she grinned. "And I do believe I'm free on Saturday. But only on one condition."

A smirk slowly grew on Kyungsoo's face. "What is it?"

"Kyungri has to come along. I can't ever imagine going to my first ever luncheon without her."

"I think I can make that happen," he chuckled.

"Then I'll be there."

—»

**_ROSE_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u so much for reading!!! rlly appreciate it <3
> 
> ROSE


	5. babysitter ༄ three

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**JUNG ARA WAS PANICKING**. Probably at the fact that her earrings were nowhere to be found. Also because she was fearing that the lilac embroidered dress she wore was too short and revealing, although it went up to her mid–thigh and the neckline was not revealing whatsoever. She stood in front of her mirror, her dyed hair falling in waves down her arms and resting almost at her waist. The white heels proved difficult to cooperate with.

"I'm going to be late," she seethed, picking a random pair of earrings; small white pearl earrings that she secretly stole from her mom's vanity table. _What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her_.

The time was twelve thirty and the luncheon began exactly at one. However, Ara still felt like she had so much to do before she was even close to leaving the house. Namely letting her phone to charge fully as it was dying in the twenties.

A knock on the door contorted her heart. _Kyungsoo!_ He was probably standing impatiently outside the door, Kyungri anxiously waiting for her favorite friend to appear.

"Give me a second!" Ara screamed out before running towards her charger and yanking the iPhone out — practically pulling the plug out of its socket alongside it. The amount of times she tripped was crazy. Opening the front door after recieving her purse and phone, Ara painted on a grin.

Do Kyungsoo was clad in a smart casual attire consisting of a button up, whereas his daughter was wearing a floral dress looking cuter than ever. Her usually unruly hair was tamed and reached her small shoulders. She hollered seeing Ara and grinned. Even Kyungsoo was impressed at Ara's beautification, his bushy eyebrows raising and doe eyes scanning up and down to take in her radiant self. However, it was purely platonic.

"You look really pretty, Ara," he mentioned sweetly, taking her aback at his sincerity. Ara bowed clumsily and pulled the now escaping hairs back.

"Thank you," was all she replied with before pinching Kyungri's cheeks. The little girl squealed at the attention she was getting and clung onto her leg.

Five minutes later and they were all sat in Kyungsoo's car. Ara sat next to Kyungri at the back due to her never ending persistence, whilst her father sat at the front using Google Maps confusedly to get them at the hotel before it began. It was twelve forty–two and Ara felt hugely bad that her slow dressing caused the ex–husband of the to–be–wed to become late. It would be _horrible_ for him.

The hotel was a really epicurean, expensive hotel at the outskirts of southern Seoul where the people leaving and entering it must've been worth millions. Entering felt like they were walking on thousands with every step — and suddenly they felt underdressed. Even the receptionists were suited in delicate silks colored in deep purple. They looked around in hope to find some sort of clue about where the luncheon was being held.

"Ask the receptionist," Ara advised. "Maybe they'll know."

Kyungsoo approached the first female receptionist. Her alluring facial features just represented the lavish hotel; her flawless nose bridge, impeccably filled in eyebrows and rouge lips that were curtained by dark, split end free hair that fell in curls around her. She gave Kyungsoo a smirk, narrowing her eyes. Yet, when her eyes reached Ara from behind him, they darkened.

"Do you know where Im Juhyun's pre–wedding luncheon's being held?" He questioned innocently. The receptionist looked down at her flat screen computer and began typing.

"Ah, yes. The hall across," she pointed with her manicured nail. "Just keep walking and you'll find it. It's quite easy."

She kept giving sultry gazes and sending winks that Ara had clocked on, but Kyungsoo remained oblivious. He thanked her politely and led the way.

The receptionist was right with the simplicity. The luncheon was held in the biggest hall the hotel had. It was decorated with large circular tables that were spotless and pearl white, and the room was themed powder blue and white. It looked very grandeur, but for Kyungsoo it wasn't surprising. Juhyun was _extremely_ extra. The special lady herself sat regally in the middle table beside her parents and Junmyeon. They were openly holding hands over the table and staring deep into each other's eyes.

She spotted Kyungsoo and waved, standing up and plodding towards him. Juhyun looked even more beautiful than usual — her hair was styled extravagantly, and a white sundress was worn with some ivory heels. She pulled her ex into a tight hug.

"It's great you came," she greeted once pulling away. "I thought you were going to ditch me last minute."

Kyungsoo cringed a little. "Juhyun, you know I'm not that kind of guy."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just teasing you."

After squeezing Kyungri to death, her eyes wandered to the uncomfortable Ara, Juhyun's brow arching. She took in Ara's features and outfit silently.

"Hi," she grinned fakely. "I'm Juhyun."

They shook hands quite stiffly and Ara could feel the tension from the grip. She greeted Juhyun back as politely as she could.

"You didn't introduce your friend to me," Juhyun turned back to Kyungsoo. "I didn't know you were able to make female friends!"

He rolled his eyes dramatically at her dig before introducing Ara. "This is my friend and neighbor Jung Ara. I invited her because I'd assumed you wanted me to bring my friends."

"By friends I meant Baekhyun, Jongdae, Chanyeol and the others," she hissed. Another smile painted on her face. "But she's lovely! I hope you enjoy the luncheon, Ara."

"I'm sure I will," Ara answered a little too preppy. Although she couldn't hide the churning feeling in her stomach from hearing Juhyun's words. From how Kyungsoo described her from where she lived to the venue of the luncheon, Ara expected a model–eske ex–wife — but she didn't expect such a rotten one.

Kyungsoo tapped her shoulder gently, bringing Ara back to reality. "We should sit down. Or else Kyungri's going to cause havok."

It seemed the girl was disappointed with how Juhyun treated her as he said afterwards, "don't worry about her. She's always been a little uptight. Trust me when I say it's not because she's got something against you."

That worked as the toothy smile Ara usually beared reappeared as she scooped Kyungri in her arms and placed her onto one of the chairs at the table. Already sitting there seemed to be close friends of Kyungsoo as he hugged and laughed with each and one of them. It was quite eye–opening seeing him so happy; usually he looked worn out and stressed. His friends also hugged and squeezed Kyungri as she stayed silent, small eyes darting back and forth at them. Being only three years old, it was surprising how calm and composed she was. _Like her father_. They all turned to Ara and looked awkwardly at Kyungsoo due to their lack of knowledge of her.

He took the hint and directed at her. "Ah. This is my neighbor and friend Ara."

"Hi, I'm Jongdae," one of the guys uttered nicely. He had a mop of silky black hair arranged on his head, alongside a prominent eye–smile, carved cheekbones and a bright grin on his face. "I'm Kyungri's favorite friend and also an acquaintance of Kyungsoo."

"Acquantaince my ass. It wasn't acquantaince when you were begging me to sleep on my couch," Kyungsoo grumbled in response, sparking laughter out of everyone. Even his daughter was bursting out in random babbles of laughter although she didn't understand the joke.

"I'm Chanyeol," the tallest one introduced himself. Unlike Jongdae, his features were a lot softer. A pair of round, kind eyes and a charming smile to compliment. He had dyed silver hair that suited him a lot.

The other three males were Baekhyun — accompanied by his extremely beautiful girlfriend who went by the name Taeyeon, even though she looked a little peeved off. It was clear as day that the two were in love, but it would've been convenient if they were less obvious. Minseok, whos almond shaped eyes focused on her carefully, cute hamster teeth coming to view when he beared a smile. Lastly, Sehun. Ara thought Kyungsoo was the moodiest guy, but once she met Sehun it was clear that he wasn't. Though he was handsome with perfect eyebrows.

After the usual greeting, a general conversation commenced between the guys and ocasionally Taeyeon.

"You guys are such weirdos," she laughed after a while. The first time she'd actually smiled in this place and honestly, her smile made Ara look like a potato. It was shocking that none of the other guys didn't seem attracted to her — _she_ definitely was.

The food was kind of bland. It was an array of small yet filling dishes, including cute little pies containing some sort of spicy meat. Kyungsoo wasn't a huge fan of small foods; he was actually quite creeped out at the tiny size. It sort of mocked his alarmingly short height, enhanced further when Jongdae and Chanyeol repeatedly commented at how the food was made for him. Even Ara was sniggering quietly beside him.

Juhyun suddenly sprung up from her seat and clinked her wine glass to bring attention to the middle of the room. She beamed excitedly whilst her eyes scanned everyone in the room.

"Hello everyone," she began with a fake peppy tone that probably only Kyungsoo caught out. It was her _nice_ tone, the voice she'd make when she attempted to sound like she cared. "I'm just so grateful that you all attended today. Junmyeon and I are also over the moon that we're recieving all of your support!"

Jongdae turned to Kyungsoo with an evil glint to him. "You happy that you're here now?" He hissed.

"Shut up."

Juhyun continued as Junmyeon took his space next to her, his arm wrapped tightly around her. "I hope you're all enjoying today as much as we are, and we do hope that every single one of you attend the wedding. I promise the food will be better!"

Everyone laughed in response. Obviously except Kyungsoo, who was agreeing about the food. Yet he refused to ever laugh at anything that involved Junmyeon. They talked for another five long minutes about their love life and other stupid crap that Kyungsoo couldn't stand listening to. He found himself surfing the interweb under the table whilst Ara sat misty–eyed, surprised at how cute she found the pair.

"I also want to thank Kyungsoo for saving my butt actually," Juhyun piped up to Kyungsoo's shock. His head swooped up to meet her crescent–shaped eyes. "He's been such a sport, performing on our wedding. I'd just like to mention that because what you're doing for us is so sweet."

He just nodded his head, accepting the gratitude. The guys on the table began patting his back rather painfully but he played it off with a smile. It was heartwarming for Juhyun to mention him at the luncheon, but it made him feel quite lonely at the fact that she was up there with a new life to start alongside her future husband, whereas Kyungsoo was watching silently from the sidelines, waiting for his happily ever after.

—

After the luncheon, Kyungsoo moved to Juhyun who was having a conversation with his former mother–in–law. Juhyun's youthful mother adored him because he was so young and cute looking yet extremely mature. She squeezed the life out of poor Kyungsoo and then Kyungri, cradling the little girl as if she was a mere infant.

Kyungsoo pulled Juhyun into a hug to thank her for the mention. Her arms wrapped around his almost automatically, nostalgia surrounding them. To Juhyun, Kyungsoo's arms were almost home. They used to be where she felt most at peace, most happiest. _Now?_ They were somehow foreign to her.

They pulled away from each other, childish smiles both etched onto their faces. Then turned away; somehow symbolizing their failed marriage. When they couldn't do it anymore, they turned around and walked away. While Juhyun returned to her fiancé, Kyungsoo returned to his sweet yet quiet neighbor Ara.

She was holding Kyungri's hand whilst spinning the small girl around as she squealed in joy. Seeing his daughter so happy made him happy. It wasn't easy being a single father sometimes, but seeing moments like this made it worth every second of it.

"Hey Kyungsoo!" Ara brought him out of his daze with a quick wave of her hand. "Are you ready to go?"

"Y--yeah," he responded a little embarrassed of his small episode. "Let me just say bye to the others."

It wasn't quick, however. Chanyeol clung persistently onto Kyungsoo's waist while screaming at him to never leave his side. Jongdae was spurring the lanky friend on, Sehun humiliated at them all although being the youngest and Baekhyun uncaringly staring at his phone.

Taeyeon approached Ara and lay a hand on her shoulder. "So Kyungsoo, huh? You guys secretly dating or something?"

Those words immediately made Ara perspire and turn red. "Date? No! No, he's just my neighbor. And friend. _Just_ friends."

"Okay, wow, Ara. I only asked a simple dating question, not whether you have drugs on you or something."

"Ah, sorry," she apologetically answered. "I'm pretty unexperienced in the dating field."

"Aw," Taeyeon cooed. "You seem young. I'm guessing late teens, early twenties?"

"Yep. I've turnt twenty–one a couple months back actually."

Taeyeon softened immediately, thinking of Ara as a small, innocent child as she was already twenty–seven. She leaned closer to her.

"Kyungsoo's a really good guy. Means well. Everyone loves him, you know. I'd say you're extremely lucky you live close to him, and make sure to stay friends with him for a long time. You won't regret it."

With that, Taeyeon turned on her heel and tottered back to Baekhyun who was standing up to leave. Kyungsoo arrived back to her, puzzled.

"What was all that about with you and Taeyeon? She tried to scare you or something?"

Ara raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Not at all — she's really nice."

"Taeyeon's a weird one," Kyungsoo mumbled whilst retrieving his car keys from his back pocket. Kyungri was still holding Ara's hand as they advanced out of the hall and out in the open. "She's a lovely girl, don't get me wrong. But she's awfully lonely. It's...odd."

Ara entered the car in scepticism. "How can someone like her be lonely? She's so kind!"

"Yeah, we're all surprised. Baekhyun says she usually just stays at home when she's not working. That's why she kind of depends on him a lot, which could be super overbearing at times. I really do advocate befriending her. Maybe you'll get her out of her ' _house fairy_ ' state."

"That's really sad to hear," she frowned. "I'll try my best."

"Thank you, Ara."

She stared at the window and breathed out. "You're welcome, _friend_!"

—»

**_ROSE_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hi hi! hope you all had a great week ! <3


	6. babysitter ༄ four

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**A RING WOKE ARA UP**. The shrill sound of her ringtone brought her out of the previous dreamland state she was immersed in and caused her to sigh. The number was unknown.

"Hello? Who's this?" She uttered sleepily, rubbing her tired eyes.

 _"Hey, Ara!"_ A peppy female voice was audible. _"Sorry for calling you so randomly. It's Taeyeon, by the way!"_

"Oh, hi Taeyeon," she answered with a yawn. She was still a little puzzled to why Taeyeon was calling her in general. Just a week ago was the luncheon, and since then she'd never really expected to hear from her. Kyungsoo's words stuck in her mind; she _had_ to make an effort. "What's up? At eight in the morning."

_"I was just wondering if you were busy today? I know we're not even close or anything but I'd love to get to know you better. Are you attending Juhyun and Junmyeon's wedding?"_

Ara furrowed her eyebrows whilst thinking deeply. "I don't believe so...I hardly know Juhyun and never spoken to her fiancé in my life. Anyways, I didn't even get an invitation."

_"Aw, that's too bad. I'll see what I can do about it, though. You just need to be friends with Juhyun — she warms up to people pretty easily."_

Not to me, Ara thought. "Ah, it's fine. So, today?"

_"Ah, yes! I was meant to go bowling with Baekhyun today, but he cancelled to go watch a movie with his friends! Pitiful, right?"_

"Yes, very."

_"So I've booked the lane and the place has a no refunds policy, so I kinda need to go if I don't want a bunch of money down the drain...so will you come with me? Think of it as an ice–breaker."_

Kim Taeyeon proved to be an extremely sweet girl, and turning down this offer was like stabbing Bambi in the heart. So obviously Ara compiled. "Yeah, sure. Although I _do_ need to finish off a bit of my assignment work prior."

_"Absolutely fine! Take your time with it. The lane's booked for seven."_

"Okay, where shall we meet?"

_"Come by my house? I'll text you the details. It's just that my neighbourhood is right next to the lane and it would be much easier to commute there from mine!"_

"Cool. By the way," Ara began. "Why call at eight?"

Giggles followed silence as Taeyeon's suprisingly old woman, yet cute, sounding laugh resonated through the phone. _"I'm an early bird. That's one of the many little things about me, so take notes."_

"Sure thing. Bye!"

Ara hung up and immediately snuggled back into her cozy bed, whilst on the other side of the apartment complex was Kyungsoo who was hurriedly putting on his tie whilst Kyungri watched intently. He was running late that particular morning since the night before consisted of him watching late night movies that caused uncontrollable crying.

"Kyungri, go finish your breakfast," he found himself repeating for the third time that disastrous morning. The little girl sulked and returned back to her now soggy oatmeal.

Luckily for Do Kyungsoo was that today meant Kyungri was at nursery school for three days a business week. Yet, it wasn't confirmed whether Min would be able to pick her up from the nursery school due to her personality. Min was very forgetful, and even things as important as this leave her mind the second it creeps in.

Hauling the annoyed Kyungri into his car, Kyungsoo drove her all the way to the nursery school and attempted to kiss her goodbye. She continued swatting him away, cringing and grumbling. He left it after a while because of the fast changing time and his own workplace — being late would make him subject to a long, boring reprimand from his boss.

He arrived at work on time and spotted Jongdae sitting at one of the computers, typing with extreme concentration. Kyungsoo sat silently beside him and grinned once his friend spotted his presence.

"Hey!" Jongdae greeted with his usual melodious tone. "How's the old divorcee?"

The _divorcee_ rolled his eyes at the tacky nickname before swatting Jongdae's face. "Well I'm fine. _Divorced,_ but fine."

"Well, Junmyeon's not," he blurted out inaudibly, but Kyungsoo was able to pick up on it. The latter's brow raised attentively.

"Huh?"

Jongdae's small eyes widened immediately before backtracking. "Ignore me. I'm talking crap."

"Crap that I'd like to be informed about."

"He's just being a priss as usual," he shrugged. "Claiming that you're not really over Juhyun."

A deep frown formed on Kyungsoo's annoyed face. _Over Juhyun?_ he thought rapidly, _I didn't know I was making it obvious._

"That's absolute rubbish. He's just trying to start a stupid fight."

"He said you were awfully clingy to her during the luncheon."

His mind went back to the awkward luncheon. "So hugging means I'm a jealous ex–husband? Ridiculous."

"Can't help the unhelpable," Jongdae concluded whilst picking up scrap pieces of paper from his desk. "You know how Junmyeon can be. He's always been the...expressive type."

"Expressive my ass. He's acting like a douche," Kyungsoo spat.

"Anyways, away from all the _drama_ , how's Ara? She's so cute!"

A sigh followed a roll of eyes. "I swear, you guys are obsessed with her. She's fine."

The guys were totally infatuated with Jung Ara; maybe because she was very shy and polite, whilst Juhyun was bodacious and bold. Ara would bow profusely before even uttering a greeting whereas Juhyun would strut and _expect_ several bows before she'd even think of greeting anyone. The latter proved to be hard for the guys to cope, hence why they'd clung onto Ara because of her sweetness.

Jongdae went on another spree of compliments about her and how Kyungsoo was smart to befriend her. Kyungsoo didn't listen. Instead he surfed on his phone looking at meal options that he would eat during lunch.

Suddenly, his phone rang loudly in his pocket. Apologizing to his other colleagues, he took the call to hear a familiar voice.

_Kyungri's nursery instructor._

The call revealed that Kyungri was waiting twenty odd minutes for a parent or guardian to turn up. In the background, Kyungsoo faintly heard his daughter heartbreakingly crying. She was a very dependent and clingy girl, but hearing that made his heart shatter into micro pieces.

Work finished at six, so there was no chance that Kyungsoo could leave to pick her up. So he called the first person.

_"Hello?"_

Hearing that voice was awfully relieving. "Hey, Ara. Are you free right now? Sorry for imposing on you at a weird time."

_"I'm free now, yeah. Just finished some work. What's up?"_

Ara being free to pick Kyungri actually made Kyungsoo genuinely smile for the first time in a small while. He breathed out, feeling stress leave his body quickly.

"Thank you so much, I'm extremely grateful."

—

"Do you know where we're off to?" Ara whispered to the hyped Kyungri perched in her arms. She shook her head. "We're off to Taeyeon's house!"

"Taeyeon!" The three year old vocalized before clapping her tiny hands together. For a young child, her memory was great, whereas Ara would forget what she ate for breakfast that same morning.

Kim Taeyeon lived in a modest two–floor home in the suburbs of Seoul; not as pristine and grand as Im Juhyun's, but expensive enough. It made Ara's one bedroom studio apartment seem like a box. The two stepped through the cleanly trimmed front garden and knocked on the lion shaped door knocker. Taeyeon, makeup half finished and a simple outfit of jeans and a baby pink t–shirt, gasped and pulled Ara into an endearing hug.

"You came!" She grinned, turning to her watch. "Fifteen minutes early!"

"Yeah, I wanted to come earlier to be safe," Ara responded cheerfully. Taeyeon was super nice, and her happiness made Ara happy too.

"That's absolutely fine. Come in — I'll just finish my makeup and help yourself to a coffee or tea. Anything, really."

The home, although elegant outside, radiated a well–kept, humble home. There were framed photos of the five–year couple residing him; smiling, holiday photos etc, hanging on the wall. There were cushy sofas in the living room alongside a flat screen TV.

Baekhyun emerged from upstairs obviously ready to leave the house. He spotted Ara seated onto the sofa alongside Kyungri and waved like a child.

"Hey, Ara!" He picked Kyungri up and ruffled her hair. "What brings you to our humble abode?"

"Bowling, actually," Ara answered, smiling. Kyungsoo's friends were all so kind to her, and she appreciated it a lot.

Baekhyun made a face. "The bowling session I was supposed to go to? Oops. But I'm glad you're keeping Taeyeon company. The house can only get cleaned so much."

It was true. The house was literally spotless. Even the wooden floorings showed Ara's reflection. The comment Kyungsoo made about Taeyeon being a house fairy sprung up into her mind again.

"She's such a nice person. I would've expected her to be outside most of the time."

"Yeah..." he trailed off. "I agree, but Taeyeon prefers being independent rather than being in big groups. I'm actually surprised that she's become so friendly with you, honestly. I'm also really happy."

Ara kind of felt special after that. "Isn't Taeyeon close with Juhyun?"

He tilted his head before exhaling. "Not that they're not _close_ , but after the divorce their relationship has strained. Taeyeon admires Kyungsoo a lot, and being close with Juhyun wasn't something she wanted to continue."

Taeyeon appeared with her makeup perfect and shoes on. "Are you ready to go, Ara?"

"Yes I am," she stood up from the comfy sofa and interlocked Kyungri's small hand with hers. "It was nice speaking to you, Baekhyun."

He gave Ara a short hug and pinched Kyungri's cheeks. "You have to visit another time. Taeyeon's cooking is amazing."

"I can't deny that," Taeyeon winked in response. "And he's right. We should make this a monthly thing, you know!"

"I'd like that."

Maybe Taeyeon was going to be a passing friend that spouted false hope to Ara's boring twenty–one years of living; but maybe she was a friend for life that would undoubtably bring a smile to her face every day. _Hopefully_.

The bowling alley was large and spacious as only one family of four were enjoying themselves right at the end of the place. Taeyeon immediately went to the front booth and explained the reservation as Ara and Kyungri sat on the soft chairs waiting for their lane to be ready.

Taeyeon turned back to the pair with an undeniable grin. "Everything's been finalized! Just tell them your shoe size and we'll be on our way to..." She read the receipt. "Lane thirteen."

Ara had unusually small feet for someone her age; on the other hand, Taeyeon was almost four sizes bigger. The difference was comical. Sadly Kyungri wasn't allowed to bowl because she was too young, but a bag of sweets and a big cup of her favorite drink was enough to tide her over.

The actual lane was fun and quirky, colorful lights covering the long wooden flooring, and an upbeat pop song rang through the place.

"Let's play!" Taeyeon announced before picking up one of the heavier balls. Once the ball touched the pins, an instant strike occured. She cheered loudly. "I'm shocked! Usually when I play I flunk."

She high–fived Ara and sat beside Kyungri, waiting for the same fate for her young friend. When Ara returned with a measly six, she bit her lip.

"Better luck next time," she consoled the sulking girl. "We still have nine more goes!"

Being as optimistic as Taeyeon seemed exhausting for Ara, but interesting. _How could one be that happy all the time?_

"So...how did Kyungri end up joining the girl's night?" Taeyeon asked before throwing yet another perfect strike and hollering. "Did Kyungsoo forget her?"

"Nope, he had work and needed someone to pick her up from nursery."

Taeyeon eyed up Ara's focused state as the latter prepared her next throw. "Kyungri _loves_ you. She's never been so matey with any of us."

When Ara failed to recieve a strike, she shrugged. "She's a really sweet kid. But she seems close enough with the others."

"You've been such a good influence on her. Before you, she was so dull and quiet. Even Kyungsoo couldn't handle her although she _is_ a carbon copy of him. But now, she's never been more bubbly."

"I didn't know I had so much of an influence..."

Taeyeon let out her old woman laugh. "You do. But I can see why Kyungri latches onto you so dearly. You're a great person."

"Thank you!" Ara beamed, her respect and liking of Taeyeon increasing.

"You're so much different to Juhyun — she's materialistic, kinda snobby and can be really petty at times. I thought I would totally be alone with the dorks we call our friends, but I'm glad you exist, Jung Ara."

—

After losing humiliatingly by almost a hundred points, the two sat in the bowling café chowing down on greasy cheeseburgers and curly fries. Kyungri was full enough from her little meal earlier and sipped obediently from a bottle of water.

"If it's not weird to ask, how did you get to know the others?" Ara enquired while chewing on a fry. Taeyeon swallowed.

"Through Baekhyun. The guys _all_ went to the same high school, including Junmyeon and even Juhyun."

"Then how'd you meet Baekhyun?"

Taeyeon cackled, reminiscing something. " _Oh_ , that was a funny story. Long story short, I'd just graduated from college with a degree in psychology hoping to get into the police force, and I was doing a year long internship in the local police station analyzing and questioning suspects."

Ara's eyebrow raised. She'd never expected someone as soft and cute as Taeyeon to be questioning possible criminals. People like that ought to be scary and loud.

"Anyways, I was doing a late night shift, eating some stale donut I found in the break room. Then, I spot some idiot tripping over his shoes and groaning in pain."

"Wait, what?" Ara gasped.

"Yeah! It was Baekhyun. I had to question him — turns out he was in trouble for causing disordely conduct in the middle of the night outside a nightclub. From then, I'd gotten his number after he sobered up and approached me, and noted down that he's an extreme lightweight."

"That's actually so shocking. I never thought of Baekhyun as a drunk."

"Yup," Taeyeon nodded proudly. "But he's _my_ drunk, I guess. I'll never forget that day. Five years on and I'm living with the guy."

It all sounded like a love story to the very boring and un–loved girl. "You two are very cute."

"I hope you think I'm cuter, though."

Ara just winked, sipping her cup of cola ambiguously, resulting to a slap on her head. "Hey! Why be so aggressive?"

"I didn't get a response," Taeyeon answered in the most casual form ever. Everything about her reeked playfulness — why couldn't Kyungsoo be this carefree? Not like Ara cared, however.

"Yes, so didn't I, Ara. Maybe check your phone more often?"

But when a deep voice filled her ear from behind, her neck turned fast enough to almost cause whiplash. _Was her mind playing tricks or was that a certain Do Kyungsoo's voice?_

Kyungsoo stood holding his car keys and phone gingerly in one hand and a grin etched onto his face. One eyebrow was raised.

"I called you like a hundred times wondering where you disappeared too because it's almost ten. Didn't think of you as the phone free type."

"Didn't think of you as the stalker type," Ara quipped, hearing Taeyeon's laughter from behind.

He feigned hurt, his free hand gripping his chest. "Touché. Anyways, Baekhyun told me that you'd be here."

Taeyeon shook her fist violently. "That snitch! I'll have to teach him a lesson or two; ruining our girls' night like that!"

"I'm sure you'll find a way," he grinned at Taeyeon's outburst before picking the sleeping Kyungri up. "Anyways, I'm going to head home."

Taeyeon suddenly nudged Ara who was sitting quietly, turning her head toward him. "Ara, you'd better go with Kyungsoo. I'm meeting Baekhyun anyways soon."

"Um...okay?" She stood up and gave Taeyeon a tight and swift hug before leaving the place with Kyungsoo and his small daughter. She was feeling a bit snoozy herself — being awake since eight in the morning made her feel like crap.

The familiar car sat outside in the car park, and it felt uniform to enter the front seat and watch Kyungsoo do his routine knuckle crack and then fasten his seatbelt after dealing with Kyungri at the back. She was now snoring lightly as her head lolled on one of the cushions at the back and his jacket wrapped around her slight body.

"How was bowling?" He firstly mumbled once driving through the streets. The sky was dark, streetlights flooding the metropolitan area with some sort of brightness. Music calmly played in the background; Adele to be precise.

"It was good. I lost, obviously. Never been the sporty type."

A chuckle left his mouth. "I can relate to that. Academics is where the fun is at!"

"Um, I'm not _that_ opposed to sports," Ara cringed. "Academics is horrible too. I just like chill things. Sitting on a couch during the cold, winter nights watching a classic film with a bowl of popcorn on my lap. Maybe fudge if I'm feeling exotic."

"That sounds serene. When I was with Juhyun, stuff like that was impossible. Get this — every Saturday we'd do really adventurous things like rock climbling, scuba diving. I hated all of them to bits, but Juhyun adored that kind of stuff."

Looking at Kyungsoo, you'd never expect someone like him to be with someone like Juhyun. It all confused Ara. "You guys are so different, how'd it all work out for so long?"

"I used to wonder myself," he said in monotone. "You know the saying opposites attract, but as time went, the attraction became more and more strained; and our differences became a lot more apparent. I couldn't be Juhyun's adventure partner anymore, and she couldn't _stand_ our library dates. Thought libraries were unofficial cemeteries."

Ara laughed at that comparison. She related to that too, all of the research she'd been spending in libraries were taking a toll on her. "What makes Junmyeon stand out to her then?"

"Probably because he's everything I'm not. Rich? Check. Good looks to boot? Check. A real sense of adventure not faux like mine? Check. Definitely Juhyun's type."

"Looks? Debatable. His nose is a little plastic–y?"

He laughed loudly. "He got plastic surgery done fresh out of college, actually. A graduation gift from his parents. Not only nose. His eyes, jaw, and he's planning on getting veneers."

"And I thought only _girls_ were narcissistic."

"You learn a new thing everyday."

The car was now parked in the apartment's car park and the time was past ten. Both Kyungsoo and Ara were yawning in unison at this time because of their tiredness. Luckily it was Saturday tomorrow; the only day he was able to catch up on lost sleep due to his working Sundays, and Ara had a long day of rewatching the Toy Story franchise. Kyungri was sleeping peacefully as they bounded upstairs back to their floor and returned to their respected apartment complexes.

Ara was standing outside her door tiredly. "I'll see you another time?"

"Yeah...more precisely tomorrow," he randomly said. _Tomorrow?_ A smile grew on his face. "You're invited to our annual barbeque. Taeyeon insisted."

"What if I'm busy?"

"C'mon, I saw the notification from Cheesy's Pizza on your phone regarding your delivery tomorrow," he deadpanned to her shock. "Pizza means lie ins. Anyways, who orders pizza a day early?"

"Maybe I have friends over?" She lied really badly. "Anyways, early orders are cheaper, so..."

"Just because it's an extra large, doesn't mean you're sharing. But _fine_ , have fun with your 'friends'," the use of speech marks with his fingers was extremely patronizing. But funny.

"But I guess I can make an effort. Although my friends will be really upset!"

"Great, meet me in the car park at noon. Bring yourself and your friends if you wish," Kyungsoo concluded jokily before turning to his door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, and I do not appreciate your sarcasm!"

But that issue flew above her head when she entered her apartment. _What does one wear to a barbeque?_

—»

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!! hope everyone had a good day / week! thank you for reading <3


	7. babysitter ༄ five

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**"ARA!"**

Do Kyungsoo was pounding at the door at approximately quarter past noon in annoyance at her lack of response. She was panicking, plucking her very bushy eyebrows in her bathroom. She heard everything he was saying; the mumbling, swearing. But eyebrows come first.

He came alone for the first time. Kyungri's time came to stay with her mother for the week as he finally enjoyed the alone time he craved. It felt good, yet it was quite lonely not hearing her cheerful voice early in the morning as his personal alarm clock.

Ara stumbled to the door, makeup half finished and hair in a messy bun, opening it to reveal his irate facial expression painted on his face.

Kyungsoo's eyes scanned her quickly before sighing. "Seriously? You're not even done?"

"Good afternoon to you too," she responded sarcastically whilst opening the door further to let him in. "I just need to finish my eyebrows and comb out my hair. _Then_ I'll be completely done."

All of that sounded extremely long — being married for several years to the queen of ego's proved that when females claim their makeup will be over soon meant it would be half an hour tops.

"Give me the hairbrush," he found himself saying firmly. Even Ara turned around from her filling in and tilted her head.

"Hm?"

"We're super late and it's better to kill two birds with one stone."

Following Ara to her weirdly purple bathroom, Kyungsoo spotted the brush on one of the cabinets and picked it up. Ara was still very confused at his gesture.

"Sit."

She obediently sat on the bathroom stool directly opposite the huge mirror. Honestly, she was worried. What if Kyungsoo pulled a clump of her prized hair out? The dying process cost her a months worth of rent, and when presenting the new brown hair to her parents, instead of recieving praise she was awarded with a slap.

"I'm not going to kill you," he assured her when he spotted her unsure look. "I used to brush Juhyun's hair all the time. You might as well call me a hair stylist for the amount of experience I have."

He began smoothly brushing out Ara's chocolate tangles, the normally bone straight strands waving slightly at the ends. She was surprised to feel no pain whatsoever.

"I'm impressed, Do Kyungsoo," Ara mused as he stayed focused, his eyes somehow cutely narrowed and tongue peeping out.

"You should believe me more. I'm more interesting than I let on."

Upon finishing, Kyungsoo managed to straighten her hair better than she's ever done before. The once quite damaged dyed hair became silky and smooth; treated with care and precision. Ara threaded her fingers through, murmuring words of appreciation at the softness.

"I should really pay you for your talent," she gratefully said after they left the bathroom to get ready for the barbeque. "My current hairdresser is a total sham — but she's the closest one to home."

"Sorry, Ara, but a session with me will set you back thousands. _But_ , I'm having an opening discount!"

Ara put a light jacket on and left her apartment alongside him, locking the door. "How selfless."

The barbeque was based in Park Chanyeol's parents house. Meaning his house too; the guy was too scared to move away. It was pretty, a white exterior and caramel interior, photos of the adorable Park family scattered around their two floor home. The backyard was large and had magnolias planted around the outside of the trimmed space. There was a huge barbeque in the middle with a long table around where paper plates and utensils sat. There were also bowls of salad for those who were on imaginary diets.

Chanyeol raced to the pair, hugging them both. "You came!"

Peeling his tall friend off, Kyungsoo laughed. "I come every year. Why you surprised?"

"I was talking about Ara, but okay."

He pretended to not be totally humiliated by Chanyeol's swift put–down, instead moving to greet his other close friends with hand slaps and hugs. Ara found Taeyeon tapping on her phone intensely, sitting down beside her.

"Hey!"

Taeyeon pulled her into a squeezy hug and Ara could swear she felt her stomach rip and deflate or something. She was slightly light headed after the hug. Taeyeon looked great as usual; her raven colored hair styled in a ponytail, and a pair of shorts and printed t–shirt made her seem casual but extremely chic. Ara felt overdressed with her coral sundress and white wedged heels to make her five foot stature taller. At least she surpassed Kyungsoo's height.

A yelp from what seemed to be Jongdae diverted their attention to the barbeque where he was screaming. Minseok was holding a bottle of ice cold water from the table and throwing it at his hysterical state. Turned out the hot coal somehow hit his eye, proving extremely painful. It was funny, however, watching everyone panic.

"Welcome to the annual barbeque," Taeyeon beamed, both girls bursting into laughter. "At least you weren't here last year. Sehun went to hospital after tripping face first onto the brick wall. He was bleeding for hours."

Watching the guys try to calm down the now sobbing Jongdae was weird. They didn't have a clue on how to console a crying person. "I seriously don't see how Kyungsoo hangs out with people so extroverted!"

"It's crazy. But their differences kind of weave together and make them closer. They bring out the loud in Kyungsoo which you've probably never experienced."

Ara definitely believed loud and Kyungsoo weren't something even remotely compatible in a sentence. "Huh?"

"He may seem composed, but when he's excited he's like the smallest child ever, like a penguin. Hence why his nickname is so."

"That's adorable! I've yet to see why he's called that."

"Guys, the sausages are ready! Come and get it!" Chanyeol hollered, consequently ending their interesting conversation. Ara and Taeyeon walked together towards the barbeque and took a sausage on a stick. It looked delicious and tasted better.

"They taste amazing," Ara muttered after swallowing. "Did you make the sausages or buy them?"

"Oh!" Chanyeol suddenly patted the phone faced Kyungsoo on his back. "This little guy marinated everything and I'm just the designated barbeque guy. Trust me when I say this, Kyungsoo is like the Korean Gordon Ramsey."

The shorter flushed a little before turning to Ara. "Untrue. He's lying. Anyways, the marinating was easy. It's just Chanyeol's very bad at cooking."

"For a guy who can't even stand straight without wobbling, I'm shocked to see him actually not cause a dangerous fire," Taeyeon grumbled.

Holding a spear awfully close to Taeyeon, Chanyeol gasped dramatically. "Did you just assume my skills?"

"Baekhyun, control your best friend!"

"I'm sorry you had to witness all of this," Kyungsoo gestured to Baekhyun who was now attempting to save his girlfriend, with failure. "My friends aren't normal at all."

Ara shrugged. "I think normal's boring, though. It's better than sitting down playing chess or mahjong."

"Hey! Mahjong's actually pretty fun, okay?"

"Why am I not surprised?"

He lightly pushed Ara's slight body away from him in a playful manner, and retorted with a harder one that tripped him up.

"Do you really want to go there, Jung Ara?" Kyungsoo warned with a fake stern facial expression.

"Figuratively, where will we be going?"

"Guys, come here and let's go eat!" Taeyeon hollered out from the table. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

The pair dashed straight to the tables once hearing the special three letter word. Chanyeol had stacked dozens of sesame seed bun covered burgers alongside spicy chicken wings and grilled vegetables. It looked wonderful; something she'd never expected from a guy who still asked his friends to tie his laces. People can surprise you.

Everyone sat together across the table, Ara sitting comfortably between Taeyeon and a sullen Jongdae. He was wearing a badly fashioned eye patch and snivelling whilst biting down on a juicy burger. It seemed his priority was relieving his appetite rather than a real medical issue. However, upon tasting the burger, she definitely realized why he was scarfing it down. It was amazing.

"I feel like we've found our missing puzzle," Baekhyun blurted out, obviously indicating their newfound friend.

"She doesn't even speak," Kyungsoo replied before rolling his eyes. "She's meaner than you think."

She flicked a lettuce leaf at him, successfully hitting his nose. "To _you_ , because I don't like you."

"We seriously need to explore your crass side more," Chanyeol commented with a chuckle at Kyungsoo's sudden silence. To the guys, it was humorous to see how she'd beat him in his own game. The years of taunting and ill–mannered quips from him to the others had been stopped by a certain Ara.

Minseok was ruffling his silky hair. "Kyungsoo thinks he's cool. As you get to know him, you'll realize he's really not."

"I think she's realized that already," Taeyeon added — at this moment, the embarrassed guy was voluntarily ignoring everyone's snide remarks and chewing on sliced tomato.

After the food was successfully polished off everyone's paper plates and the area cleaned up, the clock struck seven. It took ages due to Chanyeol bringing out his portable DJ set and playing some popular tunes loud enough for Ara's family in another city probably hearing it. She made a face at the time as she'd need to be awake early for university assignments needed for Monday. It was essays after essays, sadly, and if she wasted time now, that would be something she'd regret.

"I need to leave!" Minseok announced, taking his stuff. "I completely forgot that I left my door unlocked! See you around everyone."

That began the surge of people leaving also. Taeyeon had an early hairdresser appointment tomorrow to change her dark locks into a platinum blonde. Risky and shocking, but Ara had no doubt that her symmetrical face would suit it. Baekhyun followed briskly, and so did Sehun. He needed someone to drive him home; he was notorious within his friendship group because he'd failed the driving test four times, and was unemployed for a while. Jongdae left still pouting and his eye a scary red. It looked freaky, honestly.

Chanyeol gave both Kyungsoo and Ara equally painful hugs, and once they were released, they held their ribs in pain.

"Let's go," Kyungsoo offered. "I don't think my driving will be on par to how I usually drive, though. I currently can't breathe."

"Your friends are a weird bunch."

It was new not having the babbling small girl sitting at the backseat, murmuring random words on what she saw through the windows. It was quiet, but refreshing. The sky was darkening and people were commuting back home after a long Saturday. The barbeque was a huge success, and Ara was getting accustomed to her newfound friends. Making friends with her neighbour was a whole new life to her.

"The guys want to add you to our group chat," Kyungsoo muttered, his eyes trained on the roads.

Ara was finding it hard not to snigger. "Seriously? That's cute. Tell them I'll only join on one condition."

"Which is?"

"Kyungri has to be on the group chat also."

He scoffed. "Kyungri doesn't even know how to count up to a hundred; she thinks a phone is a 'magic shiny thingie'."

"I guess my phone will stay group chat-less," Ara shrugged in a sarcastic manner. "But honestly, how does it feel being the only father in your group of friends?"

"It doesn't really make a difference...I was technically always their father even though I _am_ one of the younger ones. All through school I was the responsible one. I even got Baekhyun out of his holding cell once after he got done for disorderly conduct and his family were out of the country."

A lightbulb struck open in Ara's mind. The last sentence ran back to yesterday after her juicy conversation with Taeyeon. "Ah, the beginnings of the real life Romeo and Juliet?"

"Taeyeon told you?" Kyungsoo's eyes flashed briefly to Ara's grinning ones. "Yeah, they truly are Romeo and Juliet, without the deaths of course. We all bet that after the wretched couple, they'd be the next to wed."

"They always seem so happy. How do they do that?"

The car halted at a red light, and Kyungsoo used it as an opportunity to finally give Ara eye contact. "You see, young one, happiness isn't always cooperation and agreements within a couple. It's also when you're able to live _beyond_ the imperfections of your loved one, and see that the flaws are what make us more perfect. Trust me when I say Taeyeon's a saint for sticking with Baekhyun."

"That's quite deep. What's up with Baek? He seems cool."

Kyungsoo's eyebrows raised. "He's a great guy, don't get me wrong. But he has an awful tendency to get agitated when things don't go his way. Being with Taeyeon's really simmered that down, but she certainly can't change his permanent ways. His pickiness sometimes reminds me of Juhyun."

The car resumed through the journey towards their apartment complex, and Ara sniggered. "There must be something that made you two click. Surely?"

"Yeah...it was all a faze. What I finally realized after divorcing her is that took this attraction we had for each other and forced it into a long–term relationship," Kyungsoo started whilst biting his lip. "We literally married fresh out of university; even my parents were super confused at the haste engagement and wedding. It was great for a while, Kyungri was born, we had a lovely new house. Then reality hit us."

"And what did reality do?"

"We divorced, blatantly. And I got to know you."

—»


	8. babysitter ༄ six

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**IM JUHYUN'S SOMEONE YOU NEVER WANT TO CROSS WHEN SHE'S MAD.**

Her heel tapping was incredibly annoying, the sharp sound beginning to irritate Kyungsoo quickly. He stood in the middle of her large lounge holding a white piece of paper containing lyrics to Juhyun's all–time favorite song. Junmyeon seemed to be late; weirdly, as the guy practically lived with her. It was a Monday afternoon — Kyungsoo was very tired and done with life, yet Juhyun _had_ to get her way.

"You need to be louder!" She projected disapprovingly from the other side of her spacious room. "My _parents_ wouldn't be able to hear your singing, let alone the people at the back."

"This isn't real, Juhyun. It doesn't matter how loud or soft I am, okay? I'll project my voice once the wedding happens."

Juhyun wasn't impressed. Her arms were crossed tightly and eyebrows furrowed. "You're incredibly stubborn. You never listen."

"You know that's not true," Kyungsoo's fists clenched in exasperation at her claims. "I _always_ listen. You just spew nonsense."

The argument was becoming serious as it became clear that what he said was not only about their singing session, but collapsed marriage. They were both lucky Kyungri was sleeping upstairs. It hurt her a lot to see her loving parents fight.

"I spew nonsense? I ask for one thing! One _damn_ thing! How selfish. After all we've been through."

Junmyeon had entered the room holding an iced lemonade and a concerned look. His pressed gray suit was tailored to perfection; so was his gelled hair.

"Is everything alright here?" He interrogated softly. It was blatant that this question wasn't directed to the agitated Kyungsoo but his darling wife who'd been the one being unpleasant.

"Yeah," Juhyun murmured, her eyes narrowed. "Just practicing."

Throughout the three hours Kyungsoo had to endure singing with the two most privileged people he knew. Junmyeon was too high maintenance, and Juhyun was prissy. They were the ideal couple. Note the sarcasm.

Back in the apartment, Ara was studying hard for a surprise test her professor set on them. Her two closest friends, Seungwan and Mira sat lay on her bed lazily whilst snacking on a packet of Skittles, memorizing long scripts. Both were trusted friends of hers; the first she'd met in Seoul. Although she had good friends back in her hometown, Mira and Seungwan were different. They always had her back, and helped her study when she needed it.

"You need to tell us about your little friend," Seungwan drawled with a teasing upward curvature of her lips. She was scrolling through her phone.

Ara scowled, registering who she was talking about. "If you're talking about height, he is little."

"That's not the point!" Mira reached out to slap her head lightly. "Tell us about him."

"How'd you know he exists anyways?"

Seungwan brought out her phone, showing a photo of Ara surrounded by her friends; Kyungsoo and the others. She stood at the front of the group in between Taeyeon and Kyungsoo —two other short people. Taeyeon's arm was around her. They all had fresh smiles on and looked genuinely happy.

"Where did you get that photo from?" She questioned her friend confusedly.

"Oh! I know Sehun from somewhere. He was the one who posted the photo, right?"

It was sad seeing how unpopular Ara was on social media. While the guys had hundreds of followers ( _Chanyeol and Sehun reaching the thousands_ ), Ara was stuck on sixty–two. Even Kyungsoo reached four hundred and managed to garner couples of hundreds in likes, Ara recieved eleven likes on a selfie of her. Once the guys found her account and gave her a sweet follow, they crash liked all of her seventy pictures and commented stupid things.

Taeyeon was popular on social media for her extremely beautiful face and feed, and once she followed Ara, the latter enjoyed getting _some_ attention on her boring account consisting of food pictures and lively ( _ugly_ ) selfies. Kyungsoo's photos were of Kyungri and him mostly, which were quite franky adorable from a third person view, and when Ara scrolled down one night, she found a few of him and Juhyun.

One was a photo of the small family in Disneyland Tokyo when Kyungri was one. She was even cuter, if that's humanely possible, and he had his arms around the two. This side of Kyungsoo was new to Ara, and seeing that he was a softy behind the poker face was refreshing.

"Ara!" Mira was waving her hand rapidly in front of her friend's face. When she'd come back to reality, Mira bit her lip. "You kinda blacked out."

"You do know Kyungsoo's a divorcee?" Seungwan inquired. The two gave her a weird look. "What? If you do marry him, wouldn't your mom be against it?"

"I should've thought twice before moving to Seoul. Full of crazy people."

—

At ten, both Mira and Seungwan left Ara's apartment in a mess but their revision successfully finished. She stepped around the complex cleaning up and sighing momentarily at the Oreo crumbs littered on her gray wooden flooring.

"These girls," she tutted before wiping down the floor. It took approximately an hour before the tip was restored back to its shining glory. Not as clean as Taeyeon's obviously, as Ara was lazy and looked at the shortest ways ever rather than most effective, but it was presentable. The door knocked, so the messy girl quickly ran and opened it to reveal Kyungsoo. It seemed he had just awoken from a nap or something — his hair was messy and he wore a baggy t–shirt and pajama pants with bare feet.

"Hi," he grumbled tiredly. "I woke up and craved coffee, but I don't have milk. Can I borrow some?"

The old neighborly routine had returned. Before the two became friends, all they asked for was small borrows such as groceries. Ara opened the door slightly to let him in and rushed to the kitchen fridge. There was a tub of milk awaiting use, and she brought it out.

Kyungsoo was sitting on her sofa. "Why are you still awake? It's like eleven or something. Don't you go university?"

"My friends came over and it was a little hectic," Ara replied and handed over the milk. "Why'd you look like you experienced an earthquake?"

"Oh, earthquake? You mean Juhyun?!"

The sarcasm laced in his voice was hilarious, Ara bursting out in uncontrollable laughter at Kyungsoo's sudden awaken state.

"What did she do this time?"

"Apart from forcing me to practice singing for her wedding alongside her ass of a fiancé, she didn't do anything."

She sat across from him with a smile. "You have so many problems with her, I wonder how bad it was when you were married to the girl!"

"Ugh, I want to have sweet dreams, Ara. Not nightmares. Please refrain from talking about her late at night."

"Since you're already here and now _I'm_ craving a mug of coffee, shall I make some?" She suggested, Kyungsoo nodding his head and beginning to follow her to the kitchen. She brought out the mugs and coffee granules. "Do you miss Kyungri?"

He leaned on the granite countertops sleepily. "Yeah. The house is dead silent without her."

"How come you don't just keep her permanently?" Ara was boiling the water and the sound of the kettle squealing filled the room abruptly.

"We agreed on shared custody at the beginning, sadly. If I could have it my way, I'd have her with me all the time."

The water was now boiled and she poured it into the mugs, watching the clear surface become darker as the coffee granules infused with the water. Adding milk to both of them, it became lighter.

"No sugar for me," he informed, stirring his coffee. "It makes me jittery."

She sniggered, sipping her hot drink. "Doesn't coffee itself do the job?"

"I don't know...caffeine doesn't affect me. Never has. Anyways, how was your day?"

"Mad," she grinned, reminiscising her loud conversation with the two most irritating yet amazing people she knew. "Apart from the fact that I have a surprise test tomorrow and should be sleeping early."

"Coffee's not the greatest idea at midnight, is it?"

"It gets my mind off the impending doom tomorrow. I'm sure you can relate when you were back in university."

Nodding his head, Kyungsoo took a sip and placed his mug down lightly on the counter. "University was great, despite the stacks of excess assignments. Doing a degree in accounting's _boring_ at times, but Jongdae and I had a blast."

Accounting? That definitely wasn't the degree choice she'd expected him to complete. "How come you chose accounting?"

"I've always wanted to get into banking and such. I hated all the essay subjects and enjoyed math."

"Completely opposite to me. Math is disgusting."

"You're a hater," he teased. "Math is fun. When you get a question right, it feels like you've accomplished everything."

Ara pouted. "Maybe that's why I hate math. I never got any questions right."

He laughed audibly hearing that before pushing her gently. "It's almost tomorrow and here I am making fun of you! I should leave."

"Yeah, I need to catch up on sleep anyways. I'll show you to the door," she answered in agreement. The pair headed to her door, Ara opening it for him. "Goodnight!"

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Kyungsoo responded with a wave. "See you."

He entered the quiet apartment, shuffling his feet and exhaling in exhaustion. Hanging out with Ara lightened his mood significantly in comparison to the disastrous rehearsal back at Juhyun's. What he liked about her was the chill and calm side of her; whenever he had something to say, Ara would automatically listen and sympathize rather than interrupt just like how Juhyun would.

Their contrasts is what made his friends adore her. They were so used to being with Juhyun, who'd been involved in their lives since school. They _did_ like her, but there were flaws that couldn't be ignored. Only Junmyeon and of course Kyungsoo overlooked them. It became apparent once the married couple began arguing profusely that Junmyeon became Juhyun's rock and the only person at the time who'd listened to her. Sad, really.

"I really need to stop thinking about this," he hissed before climbing into his comfy bed. Juhyun always managed to creep into his mind at the most vulnerable times. Such as this restless night. His phone had pinged from the bedside table and Kyungsoo studied it.

**JUHYUN:** _I'm extremely sorry for today. I acted like a bitch, and I'm not surprised if you're angry at me. Can we meet up tomorrow after work to talk?_

—»


	9. babysitter ༄ seven

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**"THANK YOU FOR COMING."**

Juhyun had placed her large cup of coffee onto the dark wooden table belonging to a popular, cozy café. She was wearing the usual lawyer attire consisting of a stylish suit, her hair tied back to reveal the rest of her flawless features. Kyungsoo was wowed. _Terribly_.

He sat in front of her emotionlessly. "What did you need me for?"

It was a bad time for their meetup to occur. This morning on the usual commute to work, he spotted an oddly depressed Jung Ara as she left her apartment to university. Once approaching her, she'd brushed him off swiftly and left downstairs. Yet, Kyungsoo _swore_ he saw her wipe a few tears away. All he'd wanted to do now, at five in the afternoon, was to find out what made her so upset. Even if it wasn't his place to comfort her, it was common courtesy to at least show her he cared.

"I wanted to apologize," she admitted, expression turning from nonchalance to regret. "The way I acted yesterday was _so_ so wrong."

Hearing Juhyun own up to her mistakes was rare. There was more of a chance that the divorced pair would rekindle their relationship. _That rare_.

"I appreciate your apology," he responded in gratefulness. "Yesterday was heated, I get it. You're stressed out with all the wedding things, you want it all to be perfect."

"It really isn't," she frowned in an oddly tearful tone. Her gaze averted down to the steaming coffee in front of her. "You won't believe how bad it all is."

Despite Juhyun's grating personality and strive to make everything go _her_ way, hearing the once most important person in Kyungsoo's life upset made him empathise a lot more than he'd hoped.

"What's wrong?"

"Junmyeon and Kyungri..." she trailed off, sniffing. "They don't get along. I'm scared that when we finally wed it'll get worse."

Hearing that was a blur for him. "You mean Kyungri — the nicest, most sweetest child you could ever ask for — doesn't get along with someone? She's friendly to everyone!"

"Well not to Junmyeon! Whenever he tries to play with her and such, she pushes him away rudely. Last night, he put her to bed — his own request. He said when he'd attempted to kiss her goodnight, she ducked under the covers and refused to get up!"

Stifling an incoming chuckle, Kyungsoo sighed. "I'm sure it's not only her. It must be a two–way thing."

"I assure you it's not. Kyungri's become so _spoilt_! What do you do that makes her feel so entitled?"

"So you're blaming me," he muttered in monotone. "You know what? It's ironic you bring me here to _apologize_ yet critique my parenting skills. Clearly there's something wrong with Junmyeon that you can't see because you're so loved up!"

"It's that Ara girl," Juhyun suddenly snarled. "She's warped our Kyungri's mind."

Upon hearing that, he stood up. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to your crap, Juhyun. I'm going home. Whether you choose to bash my friends that's completely your choice. But I won't hear it."

A grab of his arm stopped Kyungsoo in his tracks. Juhyun pulled him back, her eyes remorseful and lips curved down. "I'm sorry. I keep picking stupid fights when you've done nothing wrong. I--I just miss you."

"Huh?"

He was taken by surprise once the usually pride filled girl wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her face in his chest. The light, banana fragrance filled his nose, unconsciously causing a smile to grow on his face. It was very familiar and had become something he was once _so_ used to smelling. _Banana was always Juhyun's favorite fruit._ Unsure on what to do, Kyungsoo reciprocated and patted her back sympathetically. Seeing Juhyun as vulnerable as this meant something was definitely wrong.

"What do you mean miss me?"

Pulling back to meet his eyes, Juhyun shrugged. "I feel like ever since our divorce we haven't been maintaining a friendship, or at least being aquaintances. Remember what we promised each other?"

After resolving the situation with Kyungri's permanent care and the divorce finally being signed off after its looming for months on end, Kyungsoo and his now ex–wife left the court building side by side promising to continue keeping contact voluntarily as they'd both decided they worked better as friends. It hadn't been as effective as they'd hoped; with Juhyun's wedding news crushing the already torn Do Kyungsoo to pieces, and the emergence of a new friend Ara who he could confide to instead of meanlessly hoping to stay close with Juhyun.

"That was before we moved on," he pointed out to see Juhyun had saddened more. "Don't get me wrong; I miss you too. More than you'd expect, but it's not healthy for both of us if we put our hopes up like this. All we do is fight."

"But that's _us_ , Kyungsoo! We fight because we care about each other. I know I never hold pent up feelings in because I feel safe and secure with you."

"You have Junmyeon for that, remember?"

Suddenly, the warm arms retracted from Kyungsoo. Juhyun pulled stray hairs behind her ear and nodded. "You're right. I don't know what I'm doing, trying to force you back into something _I'm_ not even sure of. The stresses of having an upcoming wedding, huh? Was it this bad when we got married?"

He tapped his temple. "The scar?"

When Juhyun burst out in giggles, he joined in at the horrifying but hilarious memory. The night before their wedding: when Chanyeol had been consoling the nervous Kyungsoo at approximately midnight. He'd gotten a little irritated at the latter's fearful words and accidently pushed him; Kyungsoo suffering a gash on his temple that stayed to this day. Whenever he looked at himself in the mirror, that memory always lived on.

The old couple full of ups and downs ended up strolling through their nostalgic memories whilst commuting back to their respective homes. During their walk, Juhyun had interlinked her arm through Kyungsoo which had automatically ignited butterflies in his stomach.

—

"Are you guys being freaking serious?"

Jung Ara was in absolute astonishment. Standing at her door was two extra large pizzas alongside a smug Sehun and Chanyeol. They bustled into her apartment excitedly and set it onto the carpeted living room floor.

Today had to be the worst day ever. Heartbreaking family news shattered her mind in the morning, and Ara had to leave university early because it was too hard to concentrate with all the misery. She'd stayed at home, locked inside, just crying. Before she'd opened the door to reveal the two she was wiping her tears quickly so they wouldn't find out. It seemed they did though as Chanyeol's face softened immediately upon making eye contact with her.

She followed behind, still extremely puzzled. "What's all this for?"

"We were bored," Chanyeol answered casually before opening the box he was holding. It was a beautifully smelling _Meat Eater's_ special, garnished with mixed vegetables and smoky beef. "The others have _work_ and _families_ and stupid boring stuff. We thought maybe we can come over and give you some company."

"Did you guys assume that I was bored out of my mind?" Ara incredulously asked them to watch their eyes widen and heads nod. "Well you're completely correct! Let's have us some pizza."

She sat cross–legged onto the soft floor and opened Sehun's box up to see _Chicken Mania_ : different marinated chicken pieces alongside onions and pineapples decorating the huge pizza. One of Ara's favorites. She pulled a slice out and took a large bite. University drained her. _Bad_.

"We took this opportunity to get to know you," Sehun explained with a full mouth.

"That's nice. But I'm not all that special, really. Just your average Korean university student buried by the depths of hell and tuition fees."

"That was us four years ago," Chanyeol grumbled. "You'll get out of it soon enough. And you'll miss it too."

She scoffed. "Psh, miss it? I _hate_ university to bits."

"What about the people?"

"I guess they make it bearable." Ara was lying through her teeth. The likes of Seungwan and Mira are more than just _bearable_. They're basically family to her. "What did you guys do in university?"

"Mechanical Engineering," Chanyeol said to her shock. She'd never seen him do something so intricate, which made her feel bad for assuming. Although Park Chanyeol couldn't stay still for more than a minute, he seemed a lot smarter than he'd let on. On the group chat she'd been unwillingly added onto ( _that she now loves_ ), she found out that _he_ designed the barbeque rather than bought it. That took a lot of brains that Ara couldn't match.

"I majored in film studies," Sehun added. "I chose it after watching a really good film, so that kinda clouded my choice. Also maybe because media was the only subject I didn't flunk in High School? Anyways, stay in school, kids."

"So what's your plans with the degree?"

"I was thinking maybe a PhD? Apart from that, I'm just gonna live off my parents' money and hope for the best."

Chanyeol poked his younger friend playfully. "Sehun's too proud to get a minimum wage job. It's not pride. It's idiocy."

"Hey!" Sehun protested. "Idiocy's such a controversial word, okay? More on the line of indecisive?"

" _This_ —" Chanyeol pointed to him, "—is why Oh Sehun's unemployed currently."

The pitiful stories coming out of the two were managing to divert Ara's mind off the woe she was suffering the whole day. For the first time that day, she was laughing her head off. It felt good; just like a drug, it provided temporary bliss until reality kicked in again.

In an hour, the two pizzas were demolished and the trio lay idly on Ara's carpet watching reruns of America's famous TV show _Friend's._ They were relying heavily on the Korean subtitles on the bottom, but ended up chucking when the canned laughter appeared. They were _stuffed_. Almost like a Christmas turkey. Chanyeol checked his watch disapprovingly at the late time. The clock struck ten, and the two still had to make their way back home.

"We should go," he frowned before sitting up. He gave Ara a tight squeeze, pulling away to rest two fingers under Ara's chin. "Chin up, okay?"

It was weird he said that, but she brushed it off with a nod. Sehun wrapped his arms around her briefly and waved his fingers whilst leaving her apartment. Once they'd left, a huge void filled within her. The glee and happiness the pair bought with them had left, leaving a tired and pained girl.

Her phone flashed with a message from her loving mom. Ara prayed that it wouldn't be something sad when she swiped left to read it.

**MOM:** _He's stable, but the doctors aren't sure how long he'll live for. Keep him in your prayers and don't be too sad, okay? Everything happens for a reason._

A choked sob left her after seeing the first sentence. She though she'd cried away all her tears, but the fresh ones spurting out of her closed eyes proved that theory was wrong. Covering her mouth to prevent the leaked cries resonating in her living room, Ara sniffed. Once she sat on her sofa, a large phone was beside her. It had to either be Chanyeol's or Sehun's _._

She pressed on the home button to see a group photo of all the guys from probably ages ago judging from their fresh faces. She scrolled up to see some old messages, hoping that she wasn't snooping too much. One message caught her eye especially.

**KYUNGSOO:** _Do me a favor. Check on Ara today if you have time as I've got to meet up with Juhyun. Make her feel better, she's been a bit down. But don't tell her it's from me. I don't want her to feel like she owes me anything. Thanks._

Her heart warmed up immediately seeing the message. It also caused some tears to prick out of her eyes at Kyungsoo's sheer kindness even when she was cold to him that morning.

She brought out her own phone, sending a brief text to the group chat informing everyone of Chanyeol's phone still being in her place and to tell him as they lived much closer to him, and then her fingers stopped at Kyungsoo's contact. The display photo of him and the lively Kyungri both wearing matching sunglasses and grinning adorably at the camera. It had a reciprocating effect on the sullen girl as she'd smiled back at the two.

An unexpected knock on the door startled her. She opened it to see Kyungsoo with a small smile painted on his exhausted face and holding a brown paper back filled with something.

"It's not fresh anymore and I don't even know if you like pecan on cakes but—"

Ara had an unintentional desire to envelope her sweet neighbor in a hug; the warmth and care he provided something she needed most at this time of despair. It was apparent that Kyungsoo was very bewildered at her choice, but he requited the hug. Never had they ever expected to be so _close_ , but Ara needed a hug more than ever, and he understood. She pulled away and accepted the bag gratefully

"Thank you for messaging Chanyeol about keeping me company when I really needed it, thank you for not taking my morning melancholy to heart even though I rudely ignored you—"

"—slow down," he chuckled lightly. "I know something must've happened that really upset you and I'm not going to ask you what occured if you don't feel ready to tell me. I'm really sorry for not being there to keep you company, instead insisting Chanyeol should do it."

"It's honestly fine. The fact that you actually got Chanyeol and Sehun to do that was kind enough. And I _do_ like pecans, actually. Would you like to share with me?"

Closing the door behind him, Kyungsoo nodded. "I thought you'd never ask!"

The cake was from the really grandeur shop in downtown Seoul where a slice of even the simplest cake would render you penniless. Kyungsoo had chosen the pecan and caramel cake, and albeit he'd probably had it since mid afternoon, it still looked great. The smell of the cake was enough to make her mouth water even after the pizza. She brought two spoons before the pair began eating the slice in the living room floor.

"Has everything been sorted?" He questioned with his mouth partially full.

Ara glowered, shaking her head. "Remember when I told you about my dad's condition?"

"Alzheimer's, right?"

"Yeah. He suffered a fall when he attempted to leave the house yesterday and hit his head," Ara explained miserably. "He's unconscious right now and the doctors are worried that the fall caused a lot more damage than expected. He's been in a coma since three in the morning yesterday."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Kyungsoo sympathised, moving to rest his hand delicately on her shoulder.

"It's fine. You don't need to apologize. _Everything happens for a reason, huh_?"

—»


	10. babysitter ༄ eight

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 **A LOUD KNOCK WOKE ARA OUT OF HER SERENE SLEEP.** She rubbed her eyes tiredly, checking the time to see it was just past six in the morning. Groaning and cursing under her breath, she padded out of her room to the front door. She hoped it wouldn't be a guy who'd see her tangled hair and luggage under her eyes.

It wasn't a guy for sure. It was her _Mom_. Standing at the door beside a small suitcase and looking as if she'd aged years between the three months she'd seen her stood the most important woman in her life. Ara squealed before wrapping her arms tightly around the frail woman and squeezing her. The two were crying tears of great joy and elation at just seeing each other.

She pulled away from her Mom and dragged her into the apartment. "What brings you to Seoul? Doesn't it take ages to travel here? Was the journey okay? Why have you gone so skinny? How's Dad?"

"Slow down, dearie," her Mom chuckled at Ara's excitement, sitting down on the sofa. "I'm _fine_ , just tired. I suppose you don't have extra room in this small complex for your old mother, am I correct?"

"Untrue! I'm sleeping on the sofa. No buts," Ara finalized sternly. She then whined like a young child. "Answer my questions!"

"Okay, okay! Your father is fine. He's woken up and is spending some time in the hospital. The doctors hope to discharge him sometime this week. Your sister misses you so."

A soft smile appeared on Ara's face. _Her sister_. Once her best friend. "How's she?"

"Great," her Mom responded. "She's making enough for your Dad's treatment. We're so proud of her. But don't take that wrong; we're both _extremely_ proud of your progress."

"Thanks, Mom."

She fell into the comfortable warmth her mother provided that she missed through these lonely few months. It felt like she was back to being a young toddler relying heavily on her Mom, but it was weird that now she was living all alone in a big city. She missed home.

"You know your sister showed me a photo of your new friends," Ara's Mom murmured in her hair, lightly stroking the material of her pajama shirt. "You've never spoken about them."

She rolled her eyes and made a quick mental note to plague her sister with loads of angry messages. "They're new. I've only just become friends with them."

"Well you all seem cozy. Doesn't look like you've been friends for a small time. And _you_? With friends?"

"Okay, Mom, you've seen me for the first time in three months for about fifteen minutes and you're already criticizing me? I truly feel the love..."

The mother and daughter duo spent the rest of their time fake arguing and catching up on lost time. When the clock struck seven, Ara leapt up. "I need to get ready for university, Mom. When I'm gone feel free to do what you like. I have a spare set of keys on the drawer near the door, and I'm sure my fridge is full with groceries."

After visiting the bathroom to freshen up, getting changed and feeding both herself and mother, she picked up her bag filled to the brim with stacks of papers and her bulky laptop in the middle. It killed her shoulder every second the bag sat there, but this was life. She had to suffer to get what she wanted.

Hugging and leaving a quick kiss on her Mom's wrinkled cheek, Ara left the house briskly. "Bye!"

—

"Remind us to come visit your Mom when we can!" Seungwan pointed out from the front seat of her car after university, Mira sitting beside her. "We love you!"

"Love you too," Ara retorted soppily before heading into the apartment lobby holding her heavy bag. It was the best feeling just coming back home to throw your excess stuff on the floor, feeling the sensations of relief and tranquility rush through your body as you crash down onto the cozy sofa.

 _She did not experience that_.

Sat on the sofa was Kyungsoo. Do Kyungsoo. Her neighbor. Beside her own mother. They were sat conversing, both their faces clearly bright with interest and probably laughter judging how Kyungsoo's small yet perfectly aligned teeth bared as he listened to Ara's Mom's story. They both held a cup filled with coffee, sipping it momentarily. Their eyes gazed up to the arrived Ara. Kyungsoo flashed a brief smile, and her Mom waved.

"Hey! How was university?" She hollered out. She'd looked much younger than when she first entered Ara's apartment in the morning.

"It was okay. Nothing special. How'd you guys meet?"

Setting the cup onto the coffee table, she crossed her legs giddily. "Your neighbor, the one I saw on the photo, came to check up on you whilst you were at university! Isn't he sweet?"

"Uh, yeah," Ara said awkwardly. Her Mom was embarrassing her to the max, and she didn't even want to _think_ about giving eye contact the probably smug guy sitting on her sofa.

"Ara used to babysit my daughter," Kyungsoo explained afterwards.

A loud gasp left her Mom's mouth. _Oops,_ Ara thought, _he must've not told her about the whole father thing._ "You're a Dad? You look so young! I thought you were Ara's age, or even younger!"

"I'm flattered, but I've actually turned twenty–six earlier this year."

"Tell me the name of your skincare products," Ara's Mom breathed, still absolutely gobsmacked at the revelation. "You look so youthful!"

The two neighbors both chuckled at her surprise, Ara finding her Mom cute although very cringeworthy. It was better than nothing, however, and she missed her Mom more than anything else in the world. Just seeing her jubilant face was enough to make Ara's heart beat faster and lips curl up.

"I've left some lasagne in the oven, so I'll just go to the kitchen and take it out. Please, Kyungsoo, join us for dinner."

He nodded his head kindly. "I'd love to, thank you very much."

After Ara's Mom disappeared to the kitchen, the tired university student flopped down onto the sofa across Kyungsoo. She sighed. "I've missed my Mom's cooking so bad. I don't think my boring pasta salads are up to scratch."

He cracked his knuckles, amused. "Well I don't want to brag but I'm quite a talented chef myself."

"Hence why Chanyeol branded you as the Korean Gordon Ramsey? I'm sure he was exaggerating a _lot_."

"Gordon Ramsey's a little far fetched, I'll agree, but I'm handy with the spices."

Suddenly the conversations with Sehun and Chanyeol flooded Ara's brain. "This is totally random but it did not occur to me that Chanyeol's a mechanical engineer!"

"Ah," he contemplated. "I know it's hard to believe but he's actually one of the most smartest guys I know. He came out of High School with straight A's and _aced_ the entrance exams."

"No way. That's amazing," Ara squealed. She felt really horrible for prejudging Chanyeol's skills and this was a lesson to her. People can trick you.

He shrugged off her compliments. "I mean I don't blame you...he's the epitome of dopey. But don't let his personality confuse you; Park Chanyeol's a genius. You know he can play five instruments?"

"I can't even play one."

At that very moment, Ara's Mom rushed in holding a steaming case of lasagne, the savory smell of minced meat, slightly tangy cheese and everything in between wafting around the small room immediately. She placed it onto the dinner table at the end of the living room with a grin.

"Dinner's ready!" She announced proudly, Kyungsoo and Ara making their way to the table. The latter had experienced an unfound appetite and the smell wasn't relieving it in anyways — moreso increasing it. The table was able to hold four people at most; it was one of the basic circular ones that had wooden chairs padded with cushions at the seat and back surrounding it. Kyungsoo and Ara sat beside each other, her mother taking her other side.

After the food was served, the first few minutes were spent just savoring the delicious home cooked lasagne. It was somehow emotional for the home deprived Ara — the sheer taste of her Mom's food sent back nostalgic memories of her sweet, small family back in her hometown. She wanted to be back there more than ever.

"So Kyungsoo," Ara's Mom began after taking a bite of the food. "What's your job?"

He took a sip of water. "Oh, I work in a local bank as an auditing clerk, currently. It's been my job for the past three years or so."

"So you must make a bit for yourself, right?"

"I make just enough to live by, I guess," Kyungsoo bashfully answered, looking down at his half eaten lasagne. "Salary is different when you have to provide for more than one person."

"How old is your child?"

The mention of Kyungri was enough to bring a bitter smile onto his face. There was still a few days until she returned back to her father's care, but those days _dragged_. "She's three."

Ara's Mom tilted her head. "Ah, so you were fairly young when you had her."

"To be honest, at the time we weren't expecting to be parents," he described. "But I can never imagine my life without her. She's, hand on heart, the _best_ thing that's ever happened to me."

Ara couldn't help but beam at Kyungsoo's sincerity. The way he cared about his daughter was something she hoped to do when the time came. Not anytime soon, hopefully, she can't even look after herself at times.

The dinner went in a breeze as Kyungsoo insisted on washing the dishes. Ara's Mom denied at first, claiming he was the guest, therefore shouldn't have to deal with the pile of dishes sitting in Ara's sink. But he refused.

"I'll help him, Mom," Ara added, standing up from her seat and gathering the plates on the table. "Just sit down and watch some TV. You travelled a lot today so relax."

She exhaled before mumbling in agreement and migrating to the sofa where she turned on the TV. They left to the kitchen filled with dirty plates, Ara unconsciously sighing at the large mess.

"Great!" She wryly hissed. "There's so much."

Kyungsoo bunched up his sleeves up to his elbows so he could commence with the washing up. "You do the drying, I'll wash up."

"Cool."

The first few strenuous minutes consisted of rapid scrubbing and washing of dishes as Ara dried them up with a crisp tea towel and placed them back to their allocated spaces. It was continuous, speedy and operational. As Kyungsoo handed the dish, Ara was swift to dry it and put it back.

"Your Mom is so nice," he randomly blurted out, her head snapping to face him. "She's so warm and kind."

"Not when she's mad she isn't," she sniggered in response; usually being the main culprit to her Mom's interchangeable temper.

He stopped for a second, leaning carefully on the counter to prevent the water soaking him. "How's she dealing with everything?"

"I don't even know myself," Ara admitted. "She puts on a smiley face that could really fool you if you didn't look closely. But I don't want to bring it up because I feel like her being here is a holiday away from all the pain and illness. I just want to keep that smiley face intact for as long as I can."

"But that face will never mask what's going on inside. It's thin and temporary; she may be happy to you now, but in retrospect she's probably finding it extremely difficult. Maybe it's best if you talk it out with her."

She put a plate back in its drawer. "Hmph, I never thought about it that way. I'll try. Anyways, why have you stopped washing? We don't have unlimited time, you know!"

Ara gently tapped his back with tea towel, laughing melodiously when he turned around with an exaggerated shocked face.

"Is that how you're going to be? I see," he shook his head, gathering some soap suds and smothering it all over Ara's lightly made up face. She squealed at her now stinging eyes and rubbed them verociously.

"That's it!"

Rushing to the sink she also picked up the suds and threw them at Kyungsoo's face. It became an all–out war in a matter of seconds. When he guarded the sink so she couldn't get anymore soap suds, she resorted to hitting him with the tea towel.

Holding her arm in the most platonic way he could, he used that in his advantage as she couldn't get out of his iron grasp. His other hand held enough soap that could cover her whole face. Snaking his arm loosely around her waist once she began struggling, he readied his hand for the soap smothering. To the pair, none of it seemed remotely weird or anything. _They'd just wanted to win_.

That's when footsteps emerged.

It was a war that sadly nobody won. Because Ara's Mom stepped in puzzled from all the sounds generated and surprised by the mess.   
The most awkward part of it all was that Kyungsoo was still holding Ara closely, her arms loosely around his shoulders to prevent him from aiming at her precious face. To Ara's Mom, it was a whole lot of explaining to do. But beside her stood someone else.

_Im Juhyun._

Her eyes flashed hurt before returning back to its calm, casual stare. When the pair finally knocked it off and pulled away from their suggestive position, their eyes scanned the soap covered kitchen demurely.

 _So much for cleaning_.

—»


	11. babysitter ༄ nine

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**KYUNGSOO WIPED HIS HANDS ON HIS TROUSERS.**

"What are you doing here, Juhyun?" He questioned, voice slightly quivering in embarrassment and confusion.

Im Juhyun crossed her arms over the fabulous white suit she adorned today, eyes studying both Ara and her ex–husband intricately. "I wanted to talk to you, actually. I went over to your apartment to get no response, so I came here just in case. But I see you're busy."

Ara's eyes widened at that. "N--no! Nothing happened, I promise—"

"—you don't need to explain yourself," Juhyun interrupted sharply, but smiled which freaked the younger out a little. "I'll leave."

"Don't leave," Kyungsoo assured her. "I'm going home anyways. If you urgently need to speak to me, let's go across the hall to my apartment."

She obliged before leaving the kitchen without a second glance. Why she was acting cold wasn't known — _was she angry at what happened?_ Technically she had no right to; she was to wed extremely soon and agreed on the divorce. She should've moved on by now. Her coldness at Ara somehow rubbed onto her because she found herself irritated at the soon to be bride for her rudeness. Not only did Ara never do anything deliberate to hurt her, but her Mom was here too. She could at least show some respect.

Juhyun walked out of the apartment silently and rapidly. Kyungsoo was taking his stuff and gratefully accepted an overwhelming hug from Ara's Mom, waving and sincerely smiling at Ara before following the moody ex–wife.

Upon their departure, Ara's Mom immediately locked eyes with her. "Who was that girl?"

Sitting comfortably onto the couch, she frowned. "Kyungsoo's ex–wife."

That was enough to make Ara's Mom gasp loudly — she wouldn't be surprised if the group chat messaged her wondering what that noise was considering how the noise reverberated in Ara's ears.

"His ex–wife?!" She repeated in disbelief. "Isn't that a travesty!"

"Mom, it's not funny!"

"I know it's not. And I know you wouldn't ever lie to me about where you and Kyungsoo stand, so I believe that there isn't anything apart from pure friendship going on. So don't worry about _her_ , she's got no reason to hate you. She seems stuck up already."

Ara rolled her eyes. "She is. Trust me."

"Then lighten up! If you two know that what happened wasn't serious in any way, you shouldn't be worried. Just forget it and move on."

"You're right, Mom."

At those moments, Kyungsoo was busy in his apartment having a very stern talk with Juhyun. She had her legs draped over his sofa, eyeing him intensely.

"I can't believe you," she growled in anger at what she had witnessed. "So you've been lying to me the whole time?"

"Nothing happened!"

"You thought you were going to get away with it, hm? Seems your plan failed."

"I didn't think anything of it because it's nothing serious," he repeated himself, feeling his patience run thin at her accusations. "This is why I try and keep a reasonable distance from you. All you do is _assume_."

"It's not assuming when I see it with my own eyes! Clear evidence, Do Kyungsoo! Did I keep my relationship with Junymeon a secret until I got engaged with you? No! I told you the second it happened! What does this say about our friendship?"

"Friendships lie on trust! If you can't even believe me now that says a _lot_ more about our friendship than the garbage you're spewing right now!"

She leapt up onto her feet, flustered. "You know what, I'm not going to sit here and listen to you _lie_ to my face and then blame me about it! Leave me alone, why don't you? Kyungri will come by your house in two days."

"Why am I not surprised?" He boomed from behind her as she made her way out of the door. Sticking his head out of his door once she tottered away, Kyungsoo sneered. "Always running away from your problems, right?"

Juhyun, being the proud person she always was, ignored him. Bounding down the stairs angrily, she left Kyungsoo's line of sight just as he slammed his front door furiously. He swore under his breath, cursing why he ever decided to marry someone so controlling, irresponsible, _jealous_.

Yes, Juhyun was jealous. As the girl witnessed what had to be something Kyungsoo had never done to anyone apart from her, the realization in her heart that he was no longer hers was painful. Of course she knew this feeling was selfish and downright unfair to feel — they'd been seperated for a while and Juhyun was to be married for crying out loud! This was unfair to not only the innocent Ara and Kyungsoo, but to her waiting fiancé, Junmyeon, who'd loved and cherished her for such a long time. But she couldn't control how she felt. It was impulsive; an inner desire she had to release in order for her mind to clear. It just didn't release in the calmest possible way. She obviously didn't have any returned feelings for the man she's been with for almost a decade, but the nostalgic remembrance of what used to be was hard to deal with.

She didn't hate Ara. _Definitely not_. She had nothing to hate her about. It was the unfamiliarity of her; how everyone seemed to adore her, especially Kyungsoo, in a tight circle as Juhyun stayed on the outside by herself.

—

"I'm going to miss you so much!"

Ara was holding her Mom as much as she could during their last moments together for quite a while. Her head was on her mother's shoulder, softly crying.

"You'll see me soon anyways," her Mom responded with her voice cracking in tenderness. "I want you to come visit soon. This month maybe, for the weekend. Your poor old Dad is yearning to see his youngest child, so hurry!"

Ara wiped her eyes before nodding eagerly. "I'll do that."

Placing a dainty hand on her daughter's pale cheek, a smile flickered on her thin lips as she recollected how quick her youngest child grew up. No longer the messy, clingy girl she used to be. A university student, bright eyed and ready to take on the world replaced her. Ara's Mom silently let a tear fall down her face, the droplet travelling slowly down the wrinkles that represented the long years she'd lived.

"I love you," she mumbled before leaving a feathery kiss on Ara's moist cheek.

The latter requited a weak grin. "I love you too."

With that, Ara's dear mother wordlessly left the emotional atmosphere and wheeled her small suitcase out of the door and metaphorically, her life. Overcome with tears, the alone girl hunched onto her floor and cried. What she didn't know was that as her Mom left the house, the door was slightly ajar. Enough for a tiny pair of feet to pad in and jump onto her crumpled self. Ara jolted up to see familiar eyes.

 _Kyungri_.

She beamed, opening her arms to let the three year old fall into her. The mere feeling of the small child squirming in her arms was enough to erupt more salty tears out of her eyes. Kyungri's short arms were draped around Ara's neck as she gave the tightest hug she could. It wasn't tight at all, more soothing and something the upset Ara needed.

"Where's your Dad?" She murmured to the elated Kyungri. She pointed towards their apartment. Pulling the small girl onto her lap, she played with a few tendrils of her jet black hair. It was oddly therapeutic and took her mind off her Mom. Subsequently, Kyungsoo called out for his daughter for dinner and she crawled out of Ara's warm arms, leaving the apartment. Not before waving adorably. Her phone screen flashed from beside her, showing a text.

**TAEYEON:** _I'm on my way, Ara. We need to talk!_

_Talk?_ She was puzzled on what there was to talk about. When Taeyeon knocked on the door; Ara let her in to be squashed in a hug.

Taeyeon threw her bag hurriedly on the sofa. "Hey! I missed you! It feels like days since we last saw each other."

"Because it was," Ara answered matter–of–factly. "What's the rush?"

"Okay, so I was sitting home alone and Juhyun comes knocking on my door with this whole situation and about some stuff, and I was just thinking. Maybe we should have a girl's day out: you, me and her. To relieve all of this tension!"

A scowl grew on Ara's face. "I don't think that'll solve anything."

"You can't say that without even attempting it!" Taeyeon gasped, a tad bit annoyed at Ara's frigidity. "C'mon, we can eat, go to the spa, haunted house, whatever you fancy!"

"I'm not even sure I have time with all of my assignments—"

"—you're free on weekends, though," Taeyeon interrupted. "This Saturday. Juhyun even obliged — she wants to get to know you better I bet. It's only you holding us back, so please? I'm sure after this outing Juhyun won't hesitate to invite you to her wedding."

Scoffing, she made a face. "And why do I want to go to her wedding?"

"Stop lying," Taeyeon smirked. "Everyone's going. You _have_ to go. It's going to be great; I've been helping Juhyun plan the theme. I'm not going to brag but it looks pretty neat."

"Fine, whatever. I'll come to the supposed girls' night out," Ara obliged finally, Taeyeon engulfing her in yet another of her famous hugs.

"Amazing! I'll message you the details. We're going to have so much fun!"

"Yup...totally."

—

The huddle of twenty–something year old guys sat drowsily in the small space of Kim Minseok's suburban bungalow fairly far away from the hubub of downtown Seoul where most of the others resided. Everyone except the usual Kyungsoo held a can of almost frozen cold beer in their hand — he abstained from the yeast based drink, wine was more of his predilection. Baekhyun, the usual lightweight, laughed exaggeratedly at the jokes going around, slightly woozy and sure to regret his actions the next day just like always. Kyungsoo always kept a silent eye on him; he was the designated driver at the end of the day and didn't want vomit all over his spotless car that he'd just cleaned recently.

Jongdae lay on the carpeted floor, growing more and more intoxicated by the second. He threw one of the crushed beer cans at his short friend. "How's the old singing lessons going?"

Kyungsoo grimaced at the disasterous memories. "Not going great. I'm starting to think whether Juhyun's worth all of this hassle."

"It's such a shame you still have the hots for her," Chanyeol piped up giddily to his incredulity.

"Huh?" The simple word came out strained and cracked which made the others laugh more at him.

"We know you, Kyungsoo. You don't detatch from someone _this_ quick. Remember your first girlfriend? You cried ages after she dated another guy _months_ after you two split up."

He raised a brow. "How'd you know whether I've matured from those days?"

"Old habits die hard," Jongdae winked sassily, causing Kyungsoo to blush. Certainly not helping his alibi. "We should seriously sign you up for dating sites."

"Let me be single and flourish! You guys don't pester Chanyeol or Sehun for being lonely slobs!"

Sehun, who was busy playing games on his phone, glared at Kyungsoo. "I don't appreciate your slander."

"I've just gotten out of a marriage, all. Allow me to adjust back to the single life _and_ spend time with my daughter."

His precious pearl Kyungri was finally back in his care after the longest week ever. Kyungsoo missed her whines, complaints and mischevious behavior over those seven days, and having her back meant the world to him. When she'd returned from Juhyun's care, she'd been suffocated in hugs and kisses from her emotional father until she cried out that her small lungs needed air. Right now she was spending time in Ara's apartment; _her_ request, obviously.

Speaking of her care, Min texted Kyungsoo her certain whereabouts after so long. She'd accompanied her grandma, who she lived with for the past decade after her parents sadly died, to America for life–saving treatment. The frail woman was now more stable and the two returned to Korea just last night. This meant Min may be able to return back to her position as Kyungri's babysitter. They'll just have to wait and see.

The doorbell rung and Minseok leapt to get it whilst the others continued engaging in their interesting conversation.

"I'm hoping there's a fight in the wedding between Kyungsoo and Junmyeon. That'll go in the memory book," Baekhyun slurred, chuckling afterwards.

"That'll never happen," Kyungsoo deadpanned before reaching to flick Baekhyun's forehead. "Unlike him, _I_ have shame. I don't go badmouthing people without having an ounce of courage to go and say it to their face."

"This is the kind of anger I want in the wedding," Baekhyun gestured before high–fiving an agreeing Park Chanyeol.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. "Guys, it's basically fact that fighting Junmyeon equates to animal abuse."

"Am I late for the party?"

Stood there, beside an embarrassed Minseok who was gesturing ( _with absolute fail_ ) for Kyungsoo to shut his trap, was a smug Junmyeon. He was holding a six pack of bottled beer and looked fairly casual. The other guys held in their chuckles, except Jongdae who was sympathizing with his best friend. Also cringing a lot.

Kyungsoo didn't want anything more but for the ground to swallow him up whole.

—»


	12. babysitter ༄ ten

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 **ARA WAS AWAKE AT TEN.** Probably because she woke up panicking about what the awaiting day will turn out to be like. Or maybe because she _really_ needed to pee.

Mostly the second reason.

When evening sprung after a torturous afternoon consisting of experimentation with Ara's new eyeshadow palettes, frying her already damaged hair with a curler and choosing tacky outfits that would look quite frankly ridiculous in comparison to her other female counterparts, she was glad. Taeyeon had texted her numerously about the meeting point: a hip new restaurant about half an hours commute from her apartment, and all Ara needed to do was hurry the _heck_ up with picking an outfit.

She stuck to a deep purple jumpsuit that clung uncomfortably to her hips; easily corrected by a long black jacket, and let her hair run loose down her back. Slipping on a pair of forgotten black pumps, Ara hastily pulled out her charged phone and left the apartment.

Dusk began to settle around the metropolitan city — it was eight in the evening and the sun was preparing to hibernate for the night as hues of pinks and oranges emulsified to create a picture worthy view. Ara caught the fastest bus to the central of Seoul where most of the nightclubs, bars and restaurants resided. Taeyeon called whilst Ara was seated, explaining she was there at the place and reserving their table.

The place was called a snazzy _Indigo_ , the restaurant emitting indigo LED lights around the outside, and the inside ( _very expectedly_ ) purple themed also. It looked like it would cost hundreds. Money that Ara sadly didn't have.

It was a shame this restaurant didn't do waiter orders; instead insisting you go to the front and order your meal whilst a waiter delivers your food. The bar was different in a way that you'd take your drinks yourself.

Taeyeon sat casually at the back of the restaurant tapping at her phone before conveniently snapping her head up to see the unaware Ara. Waving her hands sporadically, she managed to recieve the attention of the clueless girl and summon her to the table. She hugged Ara as if they'd just seen each other after many months — otherwise her usual hugs. Unlike the unstylish university student, Taeyeon actually had an eye for fashion. She was wearing a pretty cut off pair of jeans alongside the highest heels and a spotless white leather jacket. Her newly colored hair shined. It looked so _good_.

"You came early, actually," Taeyeon commented once the two sat down in front of each other. "Don't mind Juhyun's lateness — she doesn't really know the meaning of punctuality."

"That's absolutely fine," Ara giggled before scanning the menus placed in front of them. The prices beside the choices were way too much for her to handle. Hopefully she wouldn't have to pay.

After about ten minutes, Juhyun came shuffling in looking like a million bucks. She was wearing a freaking short sequined dress for crying out loud! However, one look over at Ara and a slight roll of her eyes caused the brunette to freeze on her seat. Then a curl of her lips.

"Hey, guys," she simpered, sitting beside Taeyeon and giving her a side hug. "Sorry I'm late. Needed to do the washing in my house because Junmyeon's a complete wack."

"It's fine, Juhyunnie!" Taeyeon said before nudging her in a playful manner. Ara just wished she could be close to Juhyun like that. Desperate, but it would relieve the unfounded tension. "What do you guys wanna order? It's on me; I want to spoil the bride–to–be!"

Juhyun batted her eyelashes dramatically at Taeyeon. "You already spoil me enough! But I want the tequila cocktail right now, I need some loosening up."

Taeyeon nodded and turned to Ara. "The same?"

"No," Ara shook her head. "I'm not in the mood to drink now, actually. Can I just get a glass of iced lemonade?"

"Iced lemonade and two tequila cocktails coming right up!" Taeyeon announced, leaving the table to order the drinks at a seperate restaurant bar. Juhyun and Ara sat on the table in complete silence for a couple minutes. The latter was looking down at her manicured nails whilst Juhyun scanned the younger down carefully.

"So..." Juhyun began, her words spitting like venom. "I apologize for my rudeness when I came over the other day."

"No, no. It's totally fine. I wasn't offended or anything."

"N--no, let me apologize. You're exactly like Kyungsoo, you know? Always claiming you're not offended. You're _so_ alike."

Ara was lost for words at that moment. Why'd Juhyun have to involve Kyungsoo at the weirdest moment? By the way her eyes were quite narrowed, it didn't seem entirely positive.

So she let out a fake laugh to change the subject away from her neighbor. "Are you excited for your wedding?"

"Yeah," Juhyun concluded as if it wasn't her life being tied to another person for the supposed rest of her life. "It's going to be great. Especially with my personal interior designer, Kim Taeyeon."

"Taeyeon's so nice."

The older grinned wanly. "She is...we've been best friends for a long time. Ever since she got involved with Bird Brain years ago."

Taeyeon arrived laden with a tray holding two cocktails and a long glass of iced lemonade. Ara thanked her politely before taking her glass, and the two alcohol drinkers clinked their glass and took sips.

"Are you guys ready to order?" Taeyeon questioned the two, looking buzzed. Ara was still wondering how did someone pull of such a bright color?

"Yeah, I want the vegan ravioli," Juhyun responded vaguely. "You know, slimming for the wedding."

"You're vegan?" Ara wheezed out incredulously.

That's when Taeyeon burst out laughing. "This girl's been a vegan since she left the womb. She's also allergic to meat, and dairy makes her break out in spots."

Ara almost felt sorry for her. _No meat_ , she thought with a bit lip, _that must be hell._

Juhyun was calm, however, at Taeyeon's outburst. "Ara, be a darling and order for us. I'm so lazy and I feel bad for Taeyeon as she's paying _and_ got our drinks."

"Yeah, okay."

Taeyeon was sceptical about Juhyun's antics, but gave Ara her debit card nonetheless. She hurriedly whizzed through tables to the order area and stood in the small queue to order.

Juhyun snapped her head to her apparent best friend as if Ara was behind her. "Why'd you invite _her_ for? You told me it was a girls' day out for only us two so we could plan the wedding theme further! And to catch up!"

Taeyeon felt extremely guilty for telling Ara that Juhyun initiated the meetup when she didn't even know Ara was attending. It was all set up by her in a way to mediate the tension that was lingering before the wedding happened. Taeyeon really wanted Ara to belong in their clique instead of being ostracized by Juhyun who obviously had an important role in their group.

"Ara's actually super sweet," she found herself defending her cute friend. Taeyeon _loved_ Ara — more than Juhyun. She was kind, funny and reliable. Also, Kyungri was in love with her too which was even more adorable. "If you got to know her more, you'd realize. Hence why I invited her today."

"Clearly I'm not seeing this sweetness. She acts so cold to me."

"Don't you think it's because you act cold to her? She's scared, Juhyun. She just wants to belong. Why aren't you letting her? If you don't want to do this for her, do it for Kyungsoo."

"I don't know..." She trailed off, feeling fairly guilty.

Taeyeon realized her friend was faltering and continued. "Kyungsoo really likes her, you don't understand. They've surprisingly become such good friends. Honestly? Apart from you, I haven't seen him _this_ happy because of a person. You disliking her affects him a lot, don't you think?"

Hearing this made Juhyun's heart pang. She didn't know why and how, but it hurt. But she knew it was absolutely true. Every single word. Which made it hurt even more.

Taeyeon was hurting too. That someone as pure and loving as Ara could be disliked for no specific reason — she felt horrible when the university student arrived back at the table with an innocent smile not knowing what had occured earlier.

—

"Baekhyun's insisting that we match our outfits on the wedding," Taeyeon giggled whilst biting into her steak that she'd ordered. "I assure you it'll never happen."

Juhyun was struggling to eat through her laughing. "Why not? I think it would be cute!"

"Uh, excuse me? Cute? I don't want to be part of those cringeworthy couples who match. I have _some_ dignity, thank you very much."

"Is that why you're always all over him when we go out with the guys?"

That made Taeyeon and Ara's eyes widen simultaneously. The dissed was silent after that, realizing Juhyun had struck her with a very hot rod, and Ara was biting down chuckles. It felt good that she was able to get closer to Juhyun; although still a little awkward.

"Ara, have you ever dated?" Juhyun initiated with a raised brow. She probably expected the girl to be a newbie to the whole relationship thing. She was kinda right.

"I had a thing with some guy back in High School," Ara explained to her own surprise. Only Seungwan and Mira knew about this. "It wasn't really _dating_ , more flirting. We admitted our feelings to each other, but we kinda kept rescheduling our dates. Turns out we never even had our first date and he began another thing with some girl. They're still together to this day."

Juhyun let out a sound of pity. "That's so sad. What's his name?"

"Jongin."

To Ara, just saying that name spurted heartbreaking memories that she just wanted to forget.

"Don't worry about him, Jung Ara. You'll find a guy that will sweep you off your feet and treat you so much better than that loser anyways," Taeyeon passionately tried to cheer her friend up. "You're great, just remember that. And if a guy worthy enough doesn't come around, _I'll_ be your boyfriend."

Ara almost choked on her pasta. "I'm flattered, truly, Kim Taeyeon. I'll take up your offer."

The table erupted in giggles, which was nice. It was weird, though. How was Taeyeon such a breath of fresh air — full of laughs and smiles and just so refreshing? Yet Juhyun was very...reserved? Ara couldn't come up with a precise enough word. As time goes on, maybe she'll be able to decipher what Juhyun represented. Right now, it was quite negative. For sure.

They stuffed their stomachs with just the dinner itself without even having dessert. Taeyeon had to unbuckle her jeans after bloating a lot too. It was ten in the night and the trio just wanted to get back home and sleep off their dinner.

"How are you guys getting back?" Taeyeon inquired, standing up with difficulty. Ara shrugged.

"The bus, I guess."

That caused Taeyeon to panic. "No, no! You're _not_ taking the bus at this time. It's creepy! I'm ordering you a taxi. I mean I'd force Baekhyun to drive you back but we're visiting his parents outside the city."

"Leave off the taxi nonsense, I'll drive her home," Juhyun shockingly offered. Ara had to pinch herself to make sure she was still awake. Even Taeyeon was speechless for a while.

"Thank you, Juhyun! I'm glad you're not thinking about your hair or something first."

Ara was still dazed. "Thank you, I appreciate your offer. If that's okay with you, obviously."

"More than okay. I pass your apartment on the way to my house so it's fine."

They left the restaurant to find Baekhyun standing on the hood of his shiny new car tapping mindlessly on his phone. His head turned up to see the three girls and he waved like a madman.

"Did you girls have a blast?" He asked in a cringey way, Taeyeon moving to slap him lightly on his head.

"We had a grand time," Juhyun responded.

Baekhyun then turned to Ara when Taeyeon was hugging Juhyun. "Is everything okay with her Majesty?" Definitely meaning the bride. For the first time in her life, Ara found herself nodding her head with a smile plastered on her tired face.

"You know what? It actually was."

—»


	13. babysitter ༄ eleven

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 **A FAMILIAR SHOCK OF SHORT BLONDE HAIR WALKED THROUGH THE BUILDING HALLWAY.** She knocked on a door that she hadn't knocked on in ages, waiting for a response. A certain three year old came into view as her eyes scanned on the figure outside the door, her father behind giving the person a warm grin.

"Min!" Do Kyungsoo beckoned her with open arms, enveloping the returned babysitter in a tight welcoming hug. Kyungri, however, ran out of the area into her room.

"How's everything?" Min questioned sweetly, looking a lot more gaunt and tired as opposed to her fresh looking self prior to her hiatus.

"It's good, actually. Kyungri's growing more mischevious by the day but it's expected, right?"

She let out a faint chuckle. "I missed her. It's been hard, dealing with my grandma and also trying to get back to work."

"So how come you're back?"

"My grandma's luckily been getting better and she was strong enough to come back to Seoul and continue treatment at home! So I can take back this job for the meantime."

This was heaven to Kyungsoo's ears. He'd had to struggle with Kyungri's spoilt self during work, and he didn't want to continue burdening Ara with her without pay although they both _were_ very close. Min was back. Finally.

"That's great!" Kyungsoo smiled genuinely, taking his jacket from the small table beside the front door. "I'll just get her and then I'll leave."

Min's usual schedule was to stay in the house, providing Kyungri with her usual oatmeal breakfast — the small child refused anything other than it — then dropped her off at her school, pick her up and stay with her until Kyungsoo returned from work in the evening. A long day, but Kyungri was a kind child and didn't annoy Min too much.

Edging towards the girl's lavender themed room that was laden with plush toys, Kyungsoo found her sulking whilst hugging a teddy bear dangerously tight. Her head snapped up to see her father and she grabbed his leg desperately.

He crouched down to her level, gently stroking her silky black hair. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want Min," she grumbled. "I want Ara."

Kyungsoo bit his lip. _He should've seen that coming._ "Well, tough. Min's here so be nice. I don't want to hear her complaining about you, okay?"

When he stood up, Kyungri scratched at his shin to try and get his attention while whining soft ' _no's_ '. But he was going to run late if he didn't leave anytime soon. So Kyungsoo literally picked the squirming girl up, carrying her all the way to the living room where Min was sitting.

After setting her down on the sofa, he whispered in her ear. "Be good. Or I'll be very mad."

Despite opposing her old babysitter that disappeared on her and preferring Ara's presence, Kyungri didn't ever want to make her father angry. It was extremely rare, but shattered her whole being when he was. The small, slight man was not as cute as people thought. So she shut her mouth up and attempted to brighten up.

That was Kyungsoo's cue to leave.

Across the hallway, Ara was rushing out of her apartment to get to university on time when she saw a fuschia colored ribbon garnishing an expensive small envelope. Gingerly picking it up, she unravelled the ribbon and pulled the card out.

_You're cordially invited to Im Juhyun and Kim Junmyeon's wedding._

Underneath were the details to when and where the momentous wedding was taking place and other unimportant words. But getting invited was enough to make Ara's heart pound — she finally felt part of something. She was always hoping in the back of her mind that Juhyun would invite her to the wedding, but it actually happening was another feeling in itself. However, it was taking place in under three weeks which meant she needed to buy a dress extravagant enough for a _Juhyun_ wedding, a gift for the to–be married couple, and of course she needed to get her number in the first place to thank her for the invitation.

Ara slipped out of her apartment after realizing she was standing dormant in front of the door and bumped into the equally swift Kyungsoo obviously going to work. He spotted the card in Ara's hand after she forgot to leave it in her apartment and raised a brow.

"Finally got an invitation?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah."

With a grin, he nodded his head. "See you there."

—

"You got back together with her?"

Kyungsoo's loud and assertive voice managed to garner attention in the small café where people were calmly drinking warm beverages. He recieved sharp looks before they turned away.

"Shut up," Kim Jongdae was looking pretty embarrassed at his friend's outburst, blushing a little. "And yes, as a matter of fact I did."

"You're crazy."

The infamous ex mentioned before, Choi Yuna, was back in their lives. She had the rare ability to twirl her hair seductively and recieve everything Jongdae owned; especially his heart. Something she had a _tight_ grip over. Hence why she was back and her influence even stronger.

"Why am I crazy? I love her," Jongdae protested in irritation. "She loves me."

"Clearly. Seems that love was shared with several other guys."

The humiliated seethed at Kyungsoo's remarks. "Yeah, because _you'd_ know enough about happy relationships."

"Happy enough I married her," he retorted, equally furious.

"That marriage was very happy, right?"

Kyungsoo held back an urge to right hook Jongdae's sneering face. "I'd never take back that marriage because unlike your successful relationship, the marriage gifted me with my daughter."

He sighed, realizing he was at a tough spot. "I gave you support with your marriage, why can't you be on my side? We're best friends, I don't get it!"

"Jongdae," Kyungsoo began, his friend's name slipping out of his mouth steely. "How many times can we go through this before you realize Yuna isn't the one for you? You're young, smart, well off. You could do _so_ much better."

Nodding his head solemnly, Jongdae exhaled yet again. "I know. And I get it. But I don't know what to do...no matter how much I hope to find better, my heart always leads back to her. I hate to say this but I never got over her."

"And you never will if you continue taking her back," Kyungsoo concluded before grumbling after he looked unconvinced. "Let's just go home, yeah? I need to cook dinner before I starve."

Jongdae made a face. "I know I was meant to drive you home and all, but I'm meant to pick up Yuna. We're going to watch a film."

Standing up slightly annoyed, Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders at his naive best friend. "No worries. Public transport it is."

Using a bus was pratically foreign for the car driven man. He was so used to being _beside_ a wheel as he wasn't much of a driver. Cue a huge thank you to his personal chauffeur Jongdae. However, climbing onto a packed bus filled with people flocking from work, families with several crying children and the elderly in his area was somewhat a culture shock for him. The stench of sweat filled his nose, churning the digested coffee in his stomach. Kyungsoo found himself a seat next to a bogging elderly lady who grinned sweetly whenever his eyes locked with her. He secretly thanked God when she got off the next stop, but she creepily winked at him from outside the bus when it roared back to life to continue the slow journey.

Kyungsoo got off the bus feeling quite sweaty and disgusting, planning a longer shower to rid all of the possible germs circulating around the compressed vehicle. Finally opening the door to his house, Kyungsoo breathed out in relief to see the inviting couch.

Min sat there, clearly distressed, her eyes brightening when she saw him. "You're here!"

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "I had to take the bus."

Min shook her head dismissively. "Never mind that. Kyungri's completely changed."

"How so?"

"She's not the same respectful girl I know," she frowned, mussing her short hair. "I don't know if it's _me_ , or the lost time..."

"I'm sure it's not you."

She gave Kyungsoo an unsure look. "She keeps crying out some girl's name — Ara?"

That made Kyungsoo's eyes widen more than they're already naturally are. His eyes closed quickly before opening and he cursed himself in his head. Why didn't he think this could possibly happen?

"She's just my neighbor," he responded. "She looked after her for a little while when you weren't here. Trust me, though. It wasn't permanent."

"Well, I need to leave anyways. Thanks, Kyungsoo," Min began as she stood up and walked towards the door. Once she left, Kyungsoo sat still. He didn't know what to do about the situation. Hopefully it would solve itself.

Ara had just arrived at home laden with several thick and heavy folders which she threw on the floor tiredly as she entered her appartment after a long university day. She ruffled her hair, flopping onto the couch and throwing her shoes to the other side of the room.

She spotted a couple messages from her girl's group chat with Seungwan and Mira, a bunch of photos sent by Taeyeon, and of course the new group chat she was invited on where everyone but Kyungsoo and Jongdae were taking part in a dissing session, making distasteful jokes about the youngest of them all, Sehun.

The phone suddenly rang, her Mom's caller ID showing.

"Hello?" Ara muttered, wondering why her mother would be called her at such an early time; she'd usually rung in the night where her daughter would be tucked in bed.

 _"Ara!"_ Her Mom's voice was alarmingly thick. Possibly with tears.

Ara sat up suddenly, panicking that the tears could be caused by her Dad. Was he alright? "Mom, are you okay?"

It was weird when soft chuckles were heard from the other side of the line. _"Y--yes, oh! I'm tearing up, right? Apologies — I was cutting onions a couple minutes ago."_

"Wow, thanks for that. My heart's racing," she pouted, calming down massively at that.

_"Oops. Anyways, your Dad is finally out of hospital and is dying to see you. Come over for the weekend! I'll make you something delicious! You need some good food after eating all that trash in your kitchen."_

Ara feigned hurt. "Thanks, Mom. And I thought donuts were healthy here."

_"News flash, they're very unhealthy. So...what do you say? Will you come visit your poor family yearning for you at the other side of the country, or are you too busy for that?"_

She hated it when her Mom got all emotional on her. The last time Ara saw her Dad and sister was four months ago, where she spent a week at her family home where she grew up. The only mean of contact with her family was phone, which was extremely depressing, especially as her Dad's condition was unpredictable.

"Let me check my schedule."

Ara zoomed towards her room where her cork noticeboard hung on the magnolia–painted wall, displaying all of her duties, future endeavours and other miscellaneous items. There was a calendar also where she scanned through for the week, and the weekend was luckily free.

_"So?"_

"I'm free this weekend, and I _think_ I can squeeze in a trip to see my whole family which I hadn't seen in almost half a year."

She heard her Mom cheering excitedly on the phone before screeching. Returning after about a minute of silence on the other line, her Mom sounded alarmed. _"I need to go...I forgot the onions were sizzling and they've been charred black. Love you, and I'm so delighted that you're coming!"_

"Love you too!"

And that was the end of that. The phone ran dead and Ara couldn't stop beaming. She hadn't seen her invalid Dad in ages — would he remember her? Would he be mad that she didn't visit in so long? But all that didn't matter; she just wanted to see him.

She began scrolling through return train tickets from Seoul Station to her home city, Busan. Luckily the journey wasn't too long — about three hours maximum — as Ara suffered from motion sickness. A few terrible journeys on cars and planes alike and Ara never wanted to steer close to any moving contraption. Three hours were decent.

However, the prices said otherwise. She was definitely skint enough from travelling to and from university every day, having to pay rent and bills, groceries and other small luxuries including her phone bill. Let alone the actual university tuition. Furthermore, after making friends with wealthy people such as Taeyeon and even Juhyun, Ara went out a lot more and spent more than she would have hoped. She certainly did not have enough money to spend on return tickets. 

Ara bit her lip. She couldn't call her parents asking to pay for this; she drained all of their money, and they needed the money more than she did. So she sat in utter silence for an hour or so just thinking. The door began knocking that evening and Ara opened it, still severly stressed. Her _lovely_ neighbor stood equally stressed and annoyed. Kyungsoo surprisingly let himself in, sitting on Ara's sofa and covering his face briefly.

"Are you any good at giving advice?" He mumbled, peering up expectantly at her with his doe eyes.

"Yes, just be patient, time heals everything," she rushed in response, suddenly needing advice from _him_. She sat beside him, opening her laptop. "Okay, I have an even worse issue."

"You didn't even listen to mine!"

Peering at the prices again, Ara's fists clenched when she saw they increased. "Why should basic transport have to cost so much?"

"Huh?" Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows, puzzled, and turned his head to read her laptop. "You're visiting your family?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"It's actually quite sweet when your neighbor's Mom invites me to visit their family home—"

She stood up in sheer amazement in what she had just heard. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, your Mom called me earlier and begged me to come visit. She said something about how I've been such good help to you and yada yada."

"Nope," Ara shook her head almost hard enough for her to get instant concussion. "That's not going to happen. I mean _what_? I'm going to have a very stern talk with her! She might as well invite the whole neighborhood at this rate!"

"Anyways," Kyungsoo diverted the conversation swiftly. "I need your help. And I think I can provide you with assistance too. It's a win win situation here."

She sat back down before eyeing him up sternly. Unless Do Kyungsoo held return tickets to Busan in his hands, her negotiation window was closed. "What win win situation are you implying?"

"I need your help, real bad. Long story short: Min's return wasn't as helpful as I hoped and Kyungri's suffering from a very bad and probably chronic case of withdrawal symptoms from you. I don't think Min being her babysitter would be as bliss as before, so if you're looking for some extra cash and to make a certain neighbor extremely grateful, will you please consider it?"

 _Babysitter?_ Ara loved spending time with Kyungri, even more than many people in this cruel world, but full time babysitting wouldn't be practical. University was a huge and the sole committment that she wanted to deal with.

"I know what you're thinking," Kyungsoo suddenly cut her from her thoughts. "You don't have time with university and so. But in the mornings, I'll drop Kyungri off — no big deal. All you need to do is pick up and take care of her until I come back from work."

She was still skeptical about the whole situation. Granted, it would be great for Ara to garner some cash, but what about her chill evenings watching reruns of her favorite dramas? They'd be filled with chasing after a young child. She couldn't lose her lethargic nights.

Biting her lip, Ara narrowed her eyes. "What's _your_ give in this win win situation?"

"I'll drive you all the way to and from Busan."

That was a huge deal, Busan was the other side of the country, but something Ara unquestionably needed at her destitute matter of time. Also, it's free. Unlike the rip off train tickets.

"I'll think about it."

But Ara _knew_ what she was going to do.

—


	14. babysitter ༄ twelve

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**"HURRY UP, ARA!"**

Kyungsoo knocked violently on Ara's bedroom door as he stood waiting on the landing when she said she just needed to ' _touch up on my makeup_ '. She came out, flustered and sheepish.

"Sorry, my eyelashes were annoying me," she apologized vaguely before wheeling her small suitcase out. It was Friday evening; after the hectic rush hour where the roads were a little less crazy and jammed with beeping cars, and Ara was to stay with her parents until Sunday evening where Kyungsoo finished work and would have to make the four hour commute there and back.

Ara felt exceptionally pained to hear his journey, especially after he arrived from a tiring day at work. Kyungri was staying at Juhyun's until Saturday as he would probably be back early tomorrow morning. What made Ara feel even more terrible is that she didn't even hold up her side of the deal. The day they created this pact, she managed to pull Kyungsoo's heartstrings so much, he offered to drive her to Busan unconditionally.

Looking at his weary face now, Ara's own heartstrings were pulled. She almost pushed her suitcase back into the room and told him to go home. But remembering how her Dad was so jubilant to hear of her visitation was holding her back; he had called, crying down the phone about missing his youngest and dearest child, who had left the family bravely to recieve the best education she could get. Hearing that caused her to sob all night long, holding her pillow as if it was her loving father.

Kyungsoo assisted in putting the suitcase in his car boot and began the car once they both were sat comfortably. The four hour journey had commenced. It was serene as the car rumbled through stretches of greenland covered with slow farm animals and tall trees. The pair didn't speak for a while — Ara staying silent whilst texting her two friends, Kyungsoo driving.

"You know Juhyun's actually not that bad," Ara started after about two hours of complete quiet. Her phone had died and she needed some sort of distraction from her impending travel sickness. She found her stomach sending warning signs that it was about to eject the small and cautious lunch she had prior; her palms sweating too from fear.

"Hm?"

"Taeyeon invited us two out last week. She's clearly making an effort now."

A harsh chuckle left Kyungsoo's mouth as he took a sharp turn through the highway. "Don't trust her...really. She's good at being fake. It's her specialty. She _is_ a lawyer."

That shut Ara right up. Why was he acting so petty for? Juhyun wanted to mend the shaky relationship between the two and it was working. Surprisingly, she hadn't left the new group chat made by Taeyeon consisting of the newfound trio. She even spoke on it occasionally, being oddly pleasant to Ara. The latter decided to not bother beginning a fresh conversation. Kyungsoo was probably quite mad at her for taking so long prior to their departure, so he would get home later than expected. Luckily he wasn't working tomorrow.

She winced, immediately looking at the open window emitting cold wind, when her stomach panged with a queasy pain. She stuck her head out of the window to try and relieve the symptoms but it barely worked. She knew if she didn't get out of the car soon, Kyungsoo would have to deal with a disgusting mess.

"Kyungsoo," she managed to groan out, clutching her stomach weakly. He looked over at her as his eyes softened seeing her pained state.

"Ara? Are you okay?"

She shook her head, knowing she was going to throw up very soon. "No, can you pull over?"

When he realized what she meant, he drove faster to find a hard shoulder to pull the car over. Miraculously, he found one and quickly parked the car, helping Ara out of the car as she ran towards the row of bushes decorating the edges of the highway.

In the middle of nowhere, Ara found herself throwing up violently in the bushes. Hands on knees, bent over, she couldn't stop herself from puking out all of her lunch. Kyungsoo sympathetically watched; pulled her hair away from her face; patted her back and murmured positive words to make her feel less humiliated about the whole situation. Finding a bottle of water at the back seat, he gave it to her once she turned back uneasily. She took it gratefully and attempted to get rid of the bitter taste. Kyungsoo also had a packet of chewing gum, which Ara yet again took gratefully.

She decided to lie in the back for the rest of the journey to attempt to sleep as Kyungsoo drove through the night towards Busan. Ara did sleep after a while, and woke up when he kept nudging her that they finally got to Busan. Ara's Mom had sent the address to him, and he was parked right in front of the home. It was a modest semi–detatched house near the port, causing nostalgia to fill Ara as her eyes wavered over it. She bounded towards it whilst Kyungsoo took her suitcase, and knocked on the door.

There, her darling older sister Jung Lia stood, her short raven black hair tied in a small ponytail and weary eyes as she had returned from work. Clad in pajamas, Lia's eyes scanned her sister head to toe before feeling her eyes mist up in tears.

"Ara!" She squealed, quickly pulling her younger sister in a secure hug and sobbing on her shoulder. Ara's arms wrapped around hers like vices, never letting go.

"I missed you so much," she replied, sniffing.

"I know," Lia pulled away to grin at her younger. "I missed you more, trust me."

Wheeling Ara's small suitcase to the door, Kyungsoo crept up behind and bowed politely to Lia. "Hi, I'm Kyungsoo. Ara's chauffeur for the day."

Lia didn't take that and wrapped her arms around Kyungsoo in a welcome hug. He obviously reciprocated as he was a nice person. She took the suitcase away from him and placed it in the hallway whilst the pair followed and closed the door behind them.

"I'm Lia," she responded sweetly. It was very clear that she'd recognized Kyungsoo from Ara's photo and she gave her younger sister a knowing smile before turning back to her newfound friend. "What do you mean Ara's chauffeur? You drove all the way here just to go back?"

"Pretty much."

That's when Ara's Mom came out of the living room to see where the noise was coming from. Despite seeing her Mom a week ago, Ara still hugged her tightly, and she went to Kyungsoo to also give him a squeeze.

Her Mom grabbed her hand gently before leading her to the living room. "Ara, come see your father."

For some reason, Ara's heart was pumping fast after hearing that. Maybe because she threw all of her lunch up and was feeling fatigued from lack of food or because she hasn't seen her Dad in ages. She couldn't wait to be in his presence, though.

He sat on the famous brown squashy chair that he always did, his frail arms poised on the arm rests, dressed dapper as usual and looking much older than she'd remembered. Not ever did Ara see her father with gray hairs. But right now he had a head full of them; his wrinkled face tired and quite confused at his surroundings. Sensing Ara's form, he put on his glasses and studied his daughter. Then his eyes lit up.

"A--Ara?" He shakily called out as if he was imagining his child and that she wasn't actually standing in front of him. When she reached out to grasp his weak hand, that's when he burst out in forlorn yet thrilled tears. "Is that my daughter?"

Ara hadn't comprehended that she was also crying silently, tears streaming down her crumpled face as she hugged her Dad. "Yes it is."

As this beautiful moment took place right in front of his eyes, Kyungsoo stood in the doorway feeling his own wide eyes tear up a little. He wiped them before anyone could realize, but little did he know that Lia was watching with a smile playing on her lips.

—

Midnight was looming as the Jung family plus Kyungsoo sat in the living room whilst Ara's darling Mom and sister began exposing her through baby photos and other memorabilia. She sat through the embarrassing ordeal just dwelling upon why she chose the visit this ungrateful family, and hoping that it would end soon. She felt a lot stronger too; after being fed a lot by her Mom.

Ara's Mom was chuckling hysterically, her cup of tea, long gone cold, in her hand dangerously shaking. "Our Ara...she didn't even begin potty training until she was three!"

Kyungsoo's eyebrows raised and he spluttered out. He turned to the flushing Ara beside him. "Three? Kyungri would be embarrassed for you."

"Continue rubbing it in, why don't you?"

"So Kyungsoo..." Lia trailed off, leaning forward from her chair. "Why'd you choose to be aquainted with someone like my younger sister?"

He shrugged. "She's my neighbor. We live exactly across each other and she's the only neighbor in my building that actually bothers making conversation with me. And she has a knack with my daughter."

"When my Mom told me you had a kid, I was really shocked! You look younger than me!"

Lia was nearing twenty–five, so she was approximately a year younger than the twenty–six year old, but everything she said was correct.

"Yeah, I get that often."

Suddenly, Ara's Dad piped up from his dormant state. He narrowed his eyes at Kyungsoo. "I remember you. From a photo?"

"Oh, yes," Ara's Mom cut in, patting his shoulder softly. "The photo I showed you. From Ara's social media."

"Y--yes, that. I knew his face rung a bell somewhere. So you know my daughter, I'm assuming. What's your intentions with her?"

"Huh?" Kyungsoo questioned, fairly baffled at his interrogation.

"You obviously came to ask for my blessing to date my daughter, right?"

"N--no, no! Not in the slightest," he retorted in panic before shaking his head lightly. "We're just friends. I drove her here because she needed a ride. Speaking of driving, I should go."

That's when Ara's Mom quickly stopped him when he attempted to stand up and leave. "You're not going anywhere, Kyungsoo. The drive's almost five hours _and_ you look exhausted. I insist you stay the night. Heck, stay as long as you feel — leave when Ara does."

"I can't. My daughter is expecting me tomorrow, and I haven't even got any overnight garments."

"Don't worry about any of those; my husband seems the same size as you, and we have plenty of spare things you could use."

Kyungsoo was wavering at the tempting option. He didn't really want to endure another four hours of meanless driving all on his own in the long hours of the night. His eyes were drooping this minute as they'd tried to lure him to stay. Perhaps he could sleep the night and leave tomorrow morning?

He nodded his head. "If that's all okay with you."

She pulled Kyungsoo into another one of her soothing motherly hugs, patting his back. "More than okay! You look after my daughter so well, even driving her across the country so she could see us. It's the least we could do."

"I'm going to head to bed anyways," Lia announced as she stood up yawning. "Good night, guys. Refresh yourself."

She hugged everyone ( _even Kyungsoo_ ) and disappeared up the stairs to her room. Ara's Mom also said her farewell, leaving the room to sleep. It seemed her Dad wasn't very tired himself, instead sitting and watching mindlessly.

"Dad, do you want tea?" Ara asked delicately as if her voice was enough to break her poor Dad. He looked up and nodded eagerly. When Kyungsoo was going to follow her to the kitchen, she gave him a stern look to keep him company. So he stayed put.

Being at the kitchen that Ara once hit her head on the counter after being chased by Lia, the oven where she baked numerous cakes with her Mom and the pictures stacked on the walls consisting of the quartet, smiling as if nothing bad was ever going to happen. Before her Dad began experiencing symptoms; forgetting simple things like where he put his keys, then complex information such as his own background. It all went downhill from there.

Suddenly the kettle stopped boiling and she stirred the camomile tea, serving it to her Dad. He gave her a weird look whilst gingerly taking the tea.

"Who are you again? Did we get a maid?" He asked curiously, looking Ara up and down.

Ara blushed. "N--no, I'm your daughter. Ara? Remember me?"

He slammed his tea on the floor, spilling some in the process, and shook his head. "No, you're not! I only have one child."

"That's not true, Dad," Ara protested whilst trying to keep the calmest and softest voice to prevent provoking her hysterical father, but her voice was wavering. "You allowed me to go to Seoul for university, I've been gone for four months."

He stood up in fury, squaring up to his vulnerable daughter. "If you truly were my daughter, you'd never leave!"

"T--that's not true, Dad, and you know it!" Ara cried before looking deep into her father's narrowed eyes. " _You_ wanted me to go. You wanted me to get a better future! This was all for you!"

Before the incident could escalate any further, Ara's Mom slipped into the room and and linked her arm around her husband's leading the angry man out of the room so he could go to sleep. She turned back to her daughter and gave an expression of remorse. It was a long time since she'd come to visit the family, so it would take time for her to deal with her father's deteriorating state. Throughout her parent's journey, she overheard her Dad deny that she was ever his daughter. Ara just listened, heartbroken.

Kyungsoo watched horrified as the incident unfolded, his awful tendency to freeze up in situations like this coming to place. He felt sorry for Ara; his family, although boring, were stable. They were luckily healthy and happy with what they had, and he couldn't imagine the pain she was currently going through. She stood in the middle of the room just shivering. Until tears just gushed out of her eyes like a geyser — it wouldn't stop. Her hands self–consciously flew to her face to cover her crumpled facial expression as she cried all the pain that she'd just endured within those five minutes. A warm blanket was over Ara's shoulders as an arm wrapped around her to lead her to the sofa so she could sit down.

There, Kyungsoo let her cry on his shoulder as her arms circled around his neck and they embraced in a comforting hug, where he rubbed her back soothingly and she sobbed and sobbed.

They both dozed into darkness, tangled in each other.

—»


	15. babysitter ༄ thirteen

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**"GOOD MORNING, AND WOAH?"**

Lia, refreshed from a long sleep, entered the living room utterly confused at what she'd just witnessed with her eyes. She rubbed them profusely to make sure she was definitely seeing what her eyes were showing. _They were_. Her head lying on Kyungsoo's chest, Ara was fast asleep. They both were; the chance of them awakening anytime soon quite slim. They must've slept later than the rest of the family.

Lia left the room and closed the door behind her. She wanted to wait until her younger sister woke up so she could interrogate what she just witnessed.

It wasn't till an hour later when Ara began stirring and opening her eyes. She yawned lazily before she began adjusting to her surroundings. Looking up, her eyes caught Kyungsoo's who was _also_ awake. She gasped and sat up immediately.

"Good morning to you too," he stretched and sat up too, groaning because his arms were both numb.

"How come you didn't wake my fat ass up?"

Kyungsoo shrugged. "You were in a deep sleep...didn't want to wake you up."

But the truth was he was mesmerized. Mesmerized at the fact that he would ever be this intimate with Ara so quickly: how her chesnut colored hair shone in the morning sunlight peeking from the window blinds, the couple of freckles scattered near her left ear, how long her eyelashes were—

Clearly Kyungsoo was getting carried away by his thoughts.

"I'm going to use the bathroom," Ara announced before standing up and stretching. "There's some spare toothbrushes in the kitchen cabinet. The kitchen's across the hall to your left."

"Thanks."

She left the room to allow him to hyperventilate. _Did that actually happen?_ He was meant to be professional...there's no way he should be this close to someone that has no intimate relationship with him. Ara and him were just friends. _Just_ friends.

When Ara got out of the bathroom feeling awake from a quick shower, she bumped into her older sister. Lia gave her a once over, pulling her into their shared room. It looked exactly the same — the bunkbed at the edge of the room with their desk and Lia's numerous celebrity posters on the wall as the girl has not learnt to grow up from her obsessions.

"What the hell did I just see?" She began. Lia wasn't very good with keeping calm in situations like this, she didn't want anything bad to happen to her innocent younger sister and _obviously_ thought the worst.

"I don't even know myself," Ara admitted in similar bewilderment. "I was crying last night a--and he comforted me. We fell asleep, but I didn't expect to literally be sleeping _on_ him."

"Trust me, you're lucky Mom didn't see. She would cry, probably. Or slapped you. But don't blame me for being so shocked — you told me there was nothing between you!"

She shook her head defensively. "There isn't! I promise it wasn't anything we wanted to do. It just...happened."

"Okay," Lia sighed afterwards whilst leaving the room. "Just be careful next time, yeah?"

"There won't _be_ a next time, trust me on that."

Lia let out a laugh and bounded down the stairs. "I kind of have to. You're my sister."

—

Later on during the day when both Ara's Mom and Lia had to take her Dad to the hospital for an appointment, Ara and Kyungsoo hung around the kitchen just chilling. It seemed his plan to leave in the morning faltered, him deciding it would be best to leave when Ara did. He enjoyed her family's presence and wanted to get away from all of Juhyun's issues back at Seoul.

"Do you want to do anything whilst my family are gone?" Ara questioned, twiddling with a fork mindlessly.

He nodded. "Yeah, can you give me a tour around the area? I've never been to Busan, actually, so this would be quite interesting for me."

"Yeah, sure."

She knew the neighborhood very well, it was all second nature to her. Growing up until she was the ripe age of eighteen, it gave her the ability to recall everything in the small area. Giving a tour was easy stuff.

They left the house and began the tour. Firstly, the large park across the street. It was practically Ara's childhood in several acres of land — where she first learnt to ride her bike, where her parents once lost her whilst she was playing hide and seek with Lia, and of course where her first crush Jongin first asked her out. _Ugh_.

"This is my childhood park," she started in a loud voice to amplify how special the place was to her heart. She was grinning unconsciously because of its value to her. "I practically lived here, let's say that. I even studied for my college entrance exams on _that_ bench."

She pointed to a faraway bench, Kyungsoo chuckling at her excited demeanour. "That's cool. I never had a park near my house, probably because I lived where all the big skyscraper buildings were."

"You were rich?"

"No," he responded, scoffing. "There were small apartments there too. For my small family."

Ara was curious to how his family were. Did he have siblings? "You've never told me about your family."

"There was nothing to say, honestly. I lived with my parents and older brother. My parents still visit me often because they live a ten minutes drive away, but my brother? Lives in Japan with his Japanese wife."

"No way!" She gasped curiously. "When did he move?"

"Three years ago. He hasn't come back since because my parents didn't approve of her."

"That's so sad. How come they didn't approve of her?"

He exhaled whilst raising a brow. "She wasn't Korean."

That's when Ara was speechless for about a second. Then she frowned. "Why do our parents have to be so traditional?"

"Beats me. I guess we're the enlightened generation."

They finally left the park through the pathway and reached an institution. Brown bricked, guarded with black iron gates, it looked like a prison to Kyungsoo. But to Ara, that was where she found herself.

"That's my high school!" She squealed from beside him. "It looks daunting, but trust me! They painted the inside with all of these bright colors. Kind of reminds me of you."

Kyungsoo turned to her in feigned offence. "Excuse me?"

"It's nice, really. On the outside, you come off as cold and monotone, but as I got to know you, you're actually a big softie and kind."

In his head, Kyungsoo had the biggest smile. Her metaphor was very adorable, he had to admit, but he attempted to maintain the whole cold persona. "Is that so?"

"I hope you're no longer offended," she teased. "Let's go to the beach."

The beach was closeby, about a five minute walk from where they already were. It was suprisingly empty too, even if it was a weekend where not many people worked. The sea was gently lapping on the sand, high rise buildings behind the beach. It was contrasting; something so natural and beautiful surrounded by man–made creations.

Before Kyungsoo could even run to the sea to paddle, his phone vibrated in his pocket. _Jongdae._

His background was quite loud. Kyungsoo swore he could hear Chanyeol and Baekhyun bickering in the background. _"Kyungsoo! Where are you?"_

"I'm in Busan, why?"

Jongdae was incredulous. _"Busan? Why are you in Busan? Isn't that the other side of the country?"_

"I'm visiting a friend's family," he replied with a roll of his eyes. He may have forgotten to bring this up to his friends.

 _"W--wait! Ara's family is from Busan!"_ Baekhyun shouted in the background. _"I remember someone telling me! He's with Ara!"_

The other guys with him ( _his idiotic friends_ ) started hollering and screaming out Ara's name. Sehun was even giggling weirdly.

Kyungsoo didn't even realize that he was blushing deeply. "Shut the hell up, okay? I went to drop her off there and now I'm staying. It wasn't planned."

 _"You drove her all the way to Busan? Are you being freaking serious, Do Kyungsoo? It's not across Seoul or something, it's across the damn country!"_ Jongdae yelped with his already loud voice.

"I'm very much aware of that—"

 _"—this is all too much to handle,"_ Chanyeol cried from beside Jongdae. _"My heart!"_

"You guys are such idiots, oh my God."

Jongdae laughed. _"When are you back?"_

"Tomorrow night? I'm not very sure, but definitely before Monday."

_"Good, because we have work. You're missing tomorrow, but don't worry. I'll say you've been sick. But Juhyun's seriously wondering why you've disappeared. Oh, when she hears about this! She'll just about combust."_

Rolling his eyes, Kyungsoo bit his lip. "I should be combusting too then. She's getting married!"

_"True. Well, see you. We're doing shots right now and you're killing the vibe with the cuteness. Bye bye, Kyungsoo. We love you!"_

"Hate you too, bye."

Ara already took her shoes off and was paddling in the sea with her jeans rolled up to her knees. She waddled towards Kyungsoo with wonder to who called him.

"Who called?"

"My lovely best friend who I've really been questioning our friendship."

Giggling, Ara already knew who he was talking about. "What did he want this time?"

"I seemed to have forgot the tiny information that I was across the country," Kyungsoo sarcastically mentioned. "Yeah, he was shocked that I drove you all the way here."

"I'm shocked too. What made you want to do such a big deed for me?"

He took off his shoes and socks also to walk into the biting cold yet refreshing water. "Simple. You deserve to see your family just as much as everyone else. It must be hard to not see them in a regular basis, so this is the least I could do for you. Especially when you've been so helpful to my daughter."

Ara was touched. Wait, touched was an understatement. "What I do for Kyungri isn't close to what you did for me. It's really kind of you, thank you so much."

"Don't mention it. I don't regret it one bit, your family's sweet. _And_ your Mom's food is amazing."

"Yeah, she does have a knack for cooking," she said as she splashed some water around. Her Mom's cooking was delicious and Ara knew she would gain some weight while being here with them.

The seaweed was a little disgusting tredging on, it seemed for Kyungsoo. He cringed and shivered everytime the slimy strips went near his feet, cowering away to feel yet _another_ batch of seaweed curl around his ankles.

"Ugh, if seaweed wasn't so tasty I think I would wish they didn't exist," he huffed after a while of fighting a battle that he would never win.

Ara grinned at his freaked out self. "You came to its' house, what do you expect?"

"Stop using logic on me. It makes me feel inferior."

"Basically making you feel what you already are?"

He suddenly mustered up the courage to pull out a long strand of green seaweed and threw it perfectly to land atop Ara's newly washed hair. She squealed, threw it back into the sea, and scowled at the proud person standing right in front of her.

"You did _not_ just do that, Do Kyungsoo. Remember that this is _my_ city that you're totally unfamiliar with and I can easily just leave you to your demise!"

"You'd never do that," he told her, knowing Ara would probably die in guilt. She was a just person, always doing what she believed was right.

"I know I wouldn't, but it's possible!"

An hour after arguing hopelessly, they left the sea with wrinkled feet from staying in the sea too long. It was dark now, the time probably almost eleven in the night. They couldn't believe it got so late quickly. For some reason, when they were with each other, time zoomed like the speed of light. _A pity, really_. They began their return back home through the neighborhood where houses were filled with people who had returned from work and school, and the local shops were beginning to close down. Unlike the forever vibrant and rich market situated right in the centre of Ara's area. The pair walked through it, feeling peckish when they smelled the market stall food. They hadn't eaten since the afternoon, and they could really do with some food.

"I'm feeling like American–style food," Ara said once she saw a stall selling the American delicacies. She _really_ wanted a hot dog.

"Really? Same when I come to think about it."

Both edged towards the stall to a middle aged man who was awfully smiley for someone working through the wee hours of the night. They explained their orders and the man was onto it like quicksand. A couple minutes later and both Ara and Kyungsoo were holding onto warm, enticing food. The latter insisted on paying, giving the man cash before Ara could protest.

"Thank you, and I hope you two stay together forever," the man winked rather creepily. "I don't know about you, but I adore young love."

The pair were going to retort but realized they were too exhausted to. So they left the stall and made their way back home eating. Ara with her abnormally delicious hotdog and Kyungsoo's cheese fries.

"Do you want some?" He found himself asking after a few minutes of pure silence to eat up his fries. Ara then eyed up the small box and nodded.

"I love cheese fries!"

Picking up a fry smothered with stringy cheese using his wooden fork, Kyungsoo directly popped it into her open mouth with flourish. She bit into it, eyes widening and lips curling.

"It's lovely," she mumbled. "I can just taste the natural sea salt too, you know?"

Kyungsoo simply smiled at her response before changing the topic. "How are you? You know, dealing with your Dad's illness."

"I'm getting used to it. I didn't know that it had gotten so bad. Yesterday's never occured in the few years since my Dad got diagnosed. Never has he _forgotten_ me. I guess it kinda just got to me that my own Dad forgot me."

When Ara was getting emotionally distressed from the remnants of last night, he put the fork into the box and gently linked his arm between Ara's. "Don't ever forget that your Dad does and will always love you. The disease may affect his present and future, but it will never affect his past."

Despite having their arms linked in a way that could be interpreted as a relationship by bystanders, Ara seriously did not give a damn. She felt safe, warm, cared for. Something she really needed after a rocky start with her family.

 _That night?_ The pair embarked in yet another deep and serious conversation through the night to early morning when the sun was prematurely peeking out of its hibernation, and birds chirped melodically. The upcoming wedding, future and even pasts came up frequently as they sat cross–legged in the living room where Kyungsoo was sleeping in for the weekend. And when both their eyelids began to sag in exhaustion and one too many yawns leaked through their mouths, they called it a night. Well, technically morning.

Ara didn't even regret it when she voluntarily perched herself next to Kyungsoo whilst he was beginning to fall asleep, snoozing in his arms for the second time that weekend.

—»


	16. babysitter ༄ fourteen

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**"TAKE CARE, OKAY?"**

It was a tearful afternoon for the Jung family who were due to be split again. The occasion was formidable, but they all attempted to keep a painted smile on their faces as Ara wheeled her suitcase out of the house. Her Mom had packed a lot of food in her bag for the long journey back home. Ara's Dad enclosed his arms across his daughter, hugging as tight and secure as he could until he'd have to let her go. Away from him. His eyes misted, sniffing when he had to release the slightly teary girl.

"Make sure to call me when you're home," he said, voice cracking. "Do it early, though. My mind gets especially fuzzy in the night."

The memories of that wretched Saturday night flashed in Ara's mind, but she ignored it quickly. "I'll make a note of that."

Her Mom couldn't stop pecking her cheeks, squeezing the life out of her whilst sobbing. "Take care of yourself. Call me when you need support, someone to talk to, anything! I'll even ship you some dinner from here! I love you!"

"I love you too, Mom."

Kyungsoo certainly wasn't prepared for Ara's Mom's hug too afterwards as Lia gave her a farewell. Since she was the abnormally tall one in the family who towered over her parents when she turned fifteen, instead looking like an anomaly when she stood next to the dwarfs of her parents and sister, Ara comfortably fit in her sister's arms.

"Make sure to ace your end of semester exams," Lia instructed her dearly, patting Ara's back. Then she whispered, "also, make sure you marry him."

That was surprising to hear. Ara pulled away before eyeing up her sister suspiciously. "Excuse me?"

"We all approve of him, so make us proud!"

Ara brushed off her delirious older sister, who was meant to be wiser with age, and took her suitcase down towards Kyungsoo's car outside the house. He took it off her, putting it in the boot, waving to Ara's family one last time as they stood side by side waving back tearfully. Ara was already in pieces seeing the people she loved one last time until she had to return back to reality tomorrow.

An hour later and the car was zooming through miles of greenland. Busan was far, far away and her apartment was even more distant. All Jung Ara wanted more in this world was to be back in the warm enclosure of her family home; surrounded by the people who made her _her_. However, time had its way and she found herself on the freeway back to Seoul. She lay drowsily on the back seat to prevent her awful travel sickness, which somehow worked. She also refrained from touching her Mom's delicious food until the journey ended.

For the four hours, Kyungsoo and Ara did not say a word.

There was an unspoken tension between them — both didn't feel eased to speak to each other; probably because Ara was falling in and out of sleep the whole way through and Kyungsoo was set on attempting to find quick routes back to Seoul so he could get there before midnight. When they finally arrived back to their neighborhood, the clock struck eleven. Ara was yawning continuously, and Kyungsoo was practically a living, breathing zombie. He just wanted to sleep.

Yet again, no words were exchanged between the pair as they embarked on a short journey back to their respective apartments. Ara wheeled her suitcase through the floor to her door, standing tiredly in front of her _beautiful_ apartment containing her _beautiful_ bed.

Before she entered, however, she turned to the equally exhausted Kyungsoo with a lopsided grin. "Thank you. For everything you did."

He waved off her sincerity with a hand. "Nah, it's fine. Have a good night."

Edging towards him in an unexpected token of gratitude, Ara wrapped her arms around him, holding tight for a few seconds. "No, really. Thank you."

She pulled away and opened her apartment door before she could even see his surprised reaction. It took him a couple seconds to actually comprehend what had happened that moment.

"You're welcome," he murmured quietly to himself, entering his own abode.

There, sitting on his sofa, was Jongdae, Baekhyun and Chanyeol. They were watching an intense movie but jolted upon seeing their shorter friend. Chanyeol didn't hesitate to pull him into a painful hug, but Kyungsoo didn't reciprocate because he was still extremely puzzled as to why these three were sitting in his home. _Maybe he was dreaming_.

"What the hell?" Kyungsoo gasped, staring at his friends as if they'd disappear in a puff anytime soon.

"You always leave a spare pair of keys at Juhyun's just in case," Jongdae explained whilst eating a bowl of popcorn that Kyungsoo saved for himself. "Junmyeon gave it to us. Also, we waited for your return!"

He ruffled his hair tiredly, cursing Junmyeon in his head. "My return was meant to be a full eight hour sleep. Not a sleepover."

"We don't want a sleepover either, dumbass. We just want the gossip!" Baekhyun refuted from beside Chanyeol, his bright eyes wide and excited. He was a lucky man; working at home instead of suffering from early shifts like the rest of the others. "You didn't even care to tell any of us that you'd be in Ara's _parent's_ house for a weekend!"

Kyungsoo flopped down on the edge of the sofa, ready to argue back at their claims. " _I_ didn't even know! All I was prepared to do was to drive her there and back, and then pick her up when her visit was over. I didn't even have spare clothes or toiletries!"

Jongdae was intrigued now, sitting forward to see how his friend survived the weekend. "How'd you even brush your teeth?"

"They had spares. With clothes, I had to borrow Ara's fathers'."

"When Juhyun found out, she was _steaming_ ," Baekhyun suddenly sniggered. "Who told her again? Oh, yeah, I think it was me. Indirectly!"

Kyungsoo seriously felt like slapping the smile off his face. Baekhyun's lack of secrecy was one of the main reasons he was sceptical of the closeness of their relationship. How did he even tell his ex–wife? Juhyun, of course, did not have the audacity to get angry at him for staying with Ara's, but she was an easily jealous person. For the years that they were a couple, Kyungsoo hardly had any female friends. On the other hand, Juhyun had dozens of male friends that she was close with.

"How'd you manage to do that?" He questioned in irritation.

"I had no idea when I told Taeyeon over the phone that Juhyun was with her! Anyways, she's going to yours tomorrow morning to drop Kyungri off, so have fun with that."

He just knew the nonsense she would come out with. Even if she was an incredibly smart woman, Juhyun was very straightforward with her disses. He knew that she'd somehow put down Ara, the person that the she apparently got close with, and complain about other things he really didn't have time to care about.

"So what was the sleeping arrangements, Soo? Who'd you sleep with?"

When Jongdae asked that, Do Kyungsoo wanted the floor to swallow him up. The nights in the comfy Busan home was beginning to flash in his mind as he attempted to create an effortless lie. He certainly did not want the guys finding out; especially with the presence of Byun Baekhyun who had the most loose lips ever.

So he shrugged his shoulders and began his fib. "Oh, I slept in the living room, actually. Pretty comfortable being there on my own."

His friends ate it up like cake. None of them refuted his lie or sensed that he was missing a very important chunk of what had actually occured. Kyungsoo was very gifted to know how to fib without people realizing, unlike most of his friends. If they did find out, however, the teases would never end. When they eventually left after a long, torturous interrogation, Kyungsoo padded over to his bed and slept.

That night, he only managed to get five hours of sleep until his dreaded meeting with Im Juhyun.

—

It was unsettling for Ara not having her parents beside her when she came back from university. She missed knowing that her Mom would always have hot food waiting on the dinner table, and her Dad, although frail and ill, never failed to crack a cheesy joke to put a genuine smile on everyone's faces. That same smile grew on her face as she bounded through the hallway to her apartment that draining Monday evening. She couldn't wait to just sit on her sofa and watch reruns of her favorite TV show whilst chewing on some sugary popcorn. Never salt popcorn, she _hated_ it.

In a flash, Do Kyungri was sprinting towards Ara in lightning speed from the other side of the hallway, screaming out her name like a prayer. She situated her small self in front of Ara, hugging her knees. The latter picked her light body up, a playful grin etched on her face. Min followed behind looking very uncomfortable as she walked up to the two. Immediately, Ara pulled away from her small friend, apologizing, whilst the former hadn't stopped scanning her up and down, her blonde eyebrows furrowed.

"You must be Ara, right?" Min asked, a subtlety of curiosity laced in her voice. The questioned was puzzled at who this woman was, but it became apparent when she realized that it was Kyungri's babysitter.

"Yeah, I am," she responded with a friendly smile to ease the awkwardness between the newly aquainted two.

Then Min nodded her head silently whilst digesting the information. "Then you must have a knack with Kyungri. She seems to love you."

"Yeah...we've spent a lot of time together," Ara answered bashfully. Kyungri was just a very sweet girl; nothing to do with Ara and her way with children.

"I can tell. The girl can't _stop_ talking about you."

Min's tone almost sounded forlon to her, the once close relationship between Min and Kyungri no longer there due to Ara's looming presence. The latter felt terrible. She hadn't expected to snatch Kyungri's small but warm heart — it just happened. Then Min shook her head dismissively before placing a secure hand on Kyungri's shoulder.

"Say goodbye to Ara, now," Min cooed softly to the resisting child. "Your Dad should be coming home soon."

But she wouldn't budge. Putting Ara in quite the predicament, being the one causing it and all. She attempted to ease Kyungri's surprisingly tight grip on her arm by holding her tiny hand, but she would yell out incoherent words expressing her distaste. Ara just wanted a giant hole to form in the middle of the hallway, sucking her embarrassed self into it; never to be seen again. Min equally wanted to disappear into thin air. All she wanted from today was to finish the job without any hassle. It was hard enough looking after her quickly deteriorating grandmother — she also didn't want to deal with a crying three year old. She shook Kyungri's shoulders firm enough for the girl to get the message, but gently so that she didn't burst into tears.

However, none of the methods were effective. It wasn't until Kyungsoo actually came back from work at that exact time when she behaved. He saw the issue and came fast, literally pulling her away from Ara and towards his apartment. This left the peeved babysitter and exhausted Ara on their own.

"I'm just gonna go. Nice meeting you," Min concluded shakily, turning on her heel and following the small family into their home. Ara stood there without word for a couple minutes before going into her own apartment.

She sat on the sofa silently just watching some TV, not really absorbing it. The old conversation she had before going to her parents' house with Kyungsoo rang in her head. He was complaining about how Kyungri didn't get along with Min, which was very obvious when she wouldn't even comply with simple orders. Such a shame, really. Kyungri was such a kind young girl who usually respected her elders. She wondered what caused her to be so rebellious.

Two hours later and Ara just _knew_ who it was when the door knocked. She let the familiar person in to an ' _I told you so_ ' look etched on his face. Sitting straight onto the sofa slightly vexed, he rolled his eyes.

"Didn't I say that this was bad?" Kyungsoo began, tone laced with venom. He spent a long time consoling his annoying daughter into sleeping; her cries still directed to the estranged Ara across the hall.

She was speechless for a second but sighed. "Yeah, I didn't know it was that bad, honestly. What happened to her?"

"Oh, I seemed to forget to mention that Min _quit_ on me today. She told me that there was no point in her being paid to chase Kyungri around the whole city."

That made Ara feel totally horrible about the whole situation. She didn't know that her relationship with the small child resulted in a quitting. She wished that she could swoop in and help Kyungsoo with the problem, but university was becoming more and more strenous as semesters came and went. She simply didn't have the _time_. Whilst Kyungsoo zoomed straight into a full–blown rant regarding how Juhyun had entered his apartment that early morning with a snarl on her face, leaving him with his small child and pent up anger from how she treated him, all Ara could do is listen. Unlike how he always had a solution for her, she just sympathized. Mean, yes. But she _was_ an indebted university student with too much on her hands.

"Please," Kyungsoo found himself pleading to Ara. "I don't know what to do. I can't lug her around anymore! It's not fair on her and me."

Ara exhaled, thinking hard for a few seconds. Could she even find time to look after Kyungri? But right now, all she could remember was how much Kyungsoo helped her out when she needed help the most.

"Okay, fine," Ara replied, nodding.

"Thank you thank you thank you! I'll pay as much, or more! Your help is so needed right now."

She laughed his thank you's off. "You know I'm not doing it for the money, right? Although it _is_ a bonus."

Little did she know that Kim Taeyeon had sent a text until her eyes averted down to her miniscule phone beside her on the sofa. Ara swiped to read the text carefully.

**TAEYEON:** _Be ready tomorrow for six. I'm going to pick you up! Bridal dress picking?_

When Ara's lips were curled up weirdly, Kyungsoo piped up. "What's with the grinning?" He asked his neigbhbor still dazed, re–reading Taeyeon's text numerous times.

"I've been cordially invited—" she mimicked the formal invitation to Juhyun's wedding — "to help choose the bride's dress. I guess I'm more involved in this wedding that I'd anticipated."

—»


	17. babysitter ༄ fifteen

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**"I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE DOING THIS."**

Do Kyungsoo was stood, irate, in the middle of Im Juhyun's impeccable lounge, holding a microphone that had belonged to Kyungri's karaoke set she recieved as a Christmas gift from him last year. _Why a three year old needed one?_ He didn't know. It was a spontaneous gift.

Kim Junmyeon was equally bothered at Kyungsoo's lack of cooperation. The former had arrived from his difficult work that consisted of him preparing to take over his father's booming pharmaceutical company and just wanted to sleep. "I _know_ you don't want to do this, but we have to! I want to surprise Juhyun with the most beautiful rendition we could ever do!"

"Why couldn't we do this anytime but after work?" Kyungsoo whined. "I'm tired and have a daughter to take care of. Unlike you and your huge mansion to yourself."

Junmyeon's face hardened immediately. He didn't want to swear — not with the disinterested and impressionable child clambering on their pristine sofa — he wanted to set the record straight. "Unlike _you_ and your regular nine to five job, I have to work endlessly. So let's stop blaming each other and do what we're here for."

"Whatever."

Kyungsoo felt bad for slamming Junmyeon like that knowing how much his old friend worked in university to secure his degree in business management while the others partied their way to a first class honor. So he sung ( _quite dull_ ) until his throat was croaky, just to please the wife–to–be when the wedding happened.

He left after a couple more hours when the sun was down, the moon glistening brightly in the sky, sending _some_ light to the drained Kyungsoo. He held his daughter's dainty hand to the car, where she swiftly fell into a deep slumber once her head touched the comfy leather seats at the back. He had to lug her to his work place again after Min quit on him — but her behavior was pretty good for an infant.

Before driving, Kyungsoo checked his messages.

**JONGDAE:** _Soo! Come over when you're free! We're watching the film you like. Lord of the Rings, your favorite._

He seriously considered it as he _was_ an avid fan of the series.

**KYUNGSOO:** _Oh, that doesn't sound bad, actually. Who else is there?_

**JONGDAE:** _Yuna? But she's really willing to have you over also! C'mon._

After that message, Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and dashed his phone to the passenger seat behind him without even a response. What was even more awkward was that the message was left on read. Jongdae saw this, fuming at his short friend and turning his attention back to his newly reconciled girlfriend.

Across the expanse of the lively metropolitan city, Ara sat cross–legged on a gray sofa inside one of the most expensive dress making companies in Korea. The glass based building just oozed expense and riches, from the diamante chandeliers perched on the white ceilings to the epicurean marble flooring. The saddest fact that she was still clad in sweats due to a late morning as her alarm failed on her. Beside her was Taeyeon — her six inch heels and form fitting dress could not spell grand enough. And of course the bride herself standing expectantly in front of a huge mirror, scanning critically at the dress she was wearing.

She twirled around before her eyes widened at the pair. "What do you guys think?"

The dress was _tacky_ with a capital T. It was tight at its bodice, the skirt snaking down to hug Juhyun's legs and hips, leaving little to the imagination. It was fairly unflattering.

"As your friend, I'm not letting you go outside dressed like _that_ ," Taeyeon cringed, her face openly weirded out. "The dress isn't you."

"I'm not sure who I am anymore," she grumbled. The dress was the fifth she'd tried on and Taeyeon opposed, so she became impatient.

"I have an idea! _Oh_ , find a pretty dress."

Taeyeon's sarcasm seemed to hurt Juhyun more than Ara expected as she stormed out of the room with a click of her high heels. Taeyeon turned to Ara, rolling her eyes.

"Don't worry, Juhyun's the worst person to pick a dress for weddings. We'll be lucky if we get home before tomorrow. You should've seen her when we were finding a dress for her _first_ wedding!"

Ara laughed uneasily hearing that, feeling quite bad for Juhyun and being surprised at Taeyeon's sharpness. She'd never expected the calm and collected girl to be so frank. "I see your friendship dynamics."

"Juhyun and I are literally bad cop and bad cop," Taeyeon chuckled. "There's no good between us."

"Who's this Taeyeon and where is the kind one I thought I befriended?" Ara joked before being pushed lightly to the side by a laughing Taeyeon. "But seriously, I'm shocked that you could control Juhyun like that."

The older tilted her head, thinking, a smile forming on her relaxed face. "She's not as malicious as she seems. It's just a chronic case of ' _Resting Bitch Face_ ', but she's harmless."

Juhyun returned yet again with an actual beautiful dress. Instead of the skin tight number she paraded in previously, this one clung onto the top half of her demurely, the skirt flowing down in white clouds, the material silky and soft looking. It truly made Im Juhyun look like a princess rather than the wicked witch that Ara always regarded her as.

Taeyeon clapped her hands and stood up, pointing at the dress. "That! That is _you_."

With that, Juhyun bought the dress and the trio left the shop luckily before dusk came. They found themselves hunched in a nearby café's, steaming lattes, mochas and hot chocolates pooled in front of them. The autumn air wooshed outside, rain pouring down.

"I love lattes," Juhyun began, sipping the warm drink and grinning afterwards. "It just represents me. Bitter, but warm and lovely."

"That's totally you," Taeyeon responded with her. She had a mocha.

"Mochas are you too! It's the best of both worlds."

Then the pair turned to Ara clutching onto her hot chocolate, Taeyeon winking. "Ara's a hot chocolate, for sure. She's refreshing, sweet — sometimes _too_ sweet—" she turned to the three satchets of extra sugar Ara added onto her drink — "but we all love her."

Taeyeon was hoping Juhyun would hold her tongue and not say anything remotely spiteful, but the girl was actually polite and beamed at the innocent Ara. "I agree with Taeyeon here; you're the hot chocolate, and I hope you continue staying warm and sweet for the rest of your life."

Although her words sickly sweet at the least, Ara appreciated it. Juhyun was warming up to her. Possibly not as warm as her scorching hot drink, but there was progress.

—

"He went back with _her_?"

The most unflattering facial expression was painted on Byun Baekhyun's usually cute face. It was the moment of truth — Kyungsoo, the loyal trusted friend of Kim Jongdae, had told Baekhyun about his rekindled relationship. All of the guys that were close to Jongdae were adamant on being against their relationships; the frequent fiery fights the couple had left Yuna cheating with other men and Jongdae in pieces on the floor, sobbing whilst Kyungsoo forlonly patted his shoulder and told him he was better than her.

Kyungsoo thought it was best to explain to the others so they'd watch out for him. So he nodded his head. "Yep. Claims that she's the one for him."

"Bullshit, he's broken up with the girl so many times," Baekhyun spat, placing his can of beer on the table with a splash. "Their relationship lies on anything but love. Jongdae clearly loves her but it's not requited."

"Then why'd you think he stays with her even though he knows she won't put her everything in the relationship?"

Baekhyun let out a brisk sigh. "When you love someone, it clouds your thoughts. No matter how messed up they are, all you want is _them_ , so you'll take them any way shape or form."

"Yes, I'm very aware on how love works, thank you very much. I _was_ married, Byun Baekhyun," Kyungsoo replied sarcastically, taking a swig of his very pure glass of water. "After five whole years, why don't you want to marry Taeyeon?"

That was a toughie. Baekhyun had always been plagued with this question: by Taeyeon herself ( _very discreetly_ ), his friends, and his family who wanted a grandchild so badly. "I honestly, hand to heart, do not know. It's just...I'm not ready to be a husband, a father. I don't think I can be the husband Taeyeon deserves right now."

Kyungsoo nodded silently. He wished someone could've said that to him before he chose to marry at the young age of twenty two. He regretted ever making that decision to get on his knees and propose — even being straight out of university and having his graduate job. A year later, the small and innocent boy had become a father. _All too quickly_.

Outside the apartment in the hall were the three girls, giggling from conversation and laden with shopping bags after an accidental spree at the local mall. They were going to hang out in Ara's apartment for the rest of the night but heard from Baekhyun that he was in Kyungsoo's apartment just chilling. So they decided to crash the duo's ' _party_ ' — consisting of deep conversation and beer ( _or water_ ) drinking. A knock on the door got Kyungsoo standing up weakly from his comfortable seat on the sofa and opening the door to see the trio grinning at the two, pushing and greeting their way into the apartment.

Juhyun casually threw the shopping bags onto the end of the sofa, sitting down and tucking her stray hairs behind her ear flawlessly. She eyed up the guys and their miserable facial expressions. "What's with the sad looks? Did we come at a bad time?"

Baekhyun shook his head, a signature smile growing on his face. "No, no. We had a weirdly deep conversation that gave us a lot of food for thought."

"Want to fill us in on it?"

Both of the involved turned their heads to each other, sending warning looks at her suggestion, then turned back to the bride. Kyungsoo, who was sitting beside Juhyun, shrugged.

"It wasn't that serious, really. Just philosophical questions," he lied effortlessly. "Where'd you guys go off to?"

Taeyeon was sprawled lazily on one of the sofas, her blonde hair falling prettily over her face. "Eh, just dress picking. Nothing special."

"Was it as bad as last time?"

The group ( _except the confused Ara_ ) began laughing, reminscising memories that occured way before Ara even met her neighbor. Juhyun advanced forward to shove Kyungsoo playfully.

"Shut _up_! And no, we didn't get kicked out of the shop this time."

That caused Ara to raise a brow. "You got kicked out of a shop?"

"And banned with a warning from the police," Kyungsoo added, laughing himself. "Let's just say that event was unforgettable. I wasn't even there and I can imagine the whole thing."

The ordeal sounded astonishing to Ara; today was for sure the day she had her first impressions of everyone completely changed. Taeyeon was never a sharp person, nor was Juhyun someone that Ara considered to be capable of public disorderly conduct. Wow. Apart from the others, she was seated on the fluffy living room carpet, clutching her knees and drinking a bottle of water.

It wasn't until ten thirty when everyone decided to return back to their homes — something easy for Ara as she resided across the hall. She needed to sleep as soon as possible, university was early tomorrow. Juhyun, however, decided to stick around. As Kyungsoo threw all of the rubbish in the kitchen as wary as possible because of his sleeping daughter in the room beside it, Juhyun followed swiftly. She was holding onto a half full glass of wine, the third refill that evening.

She leaned onto the kitchen counter, oddly putting images of Ara in his head as he was so used to her being her instead of Juhyun, lightly moving the wine in circular motions. Her hair was tucked behind her ear, exposing inches of pale neck that she'd never really shown.

"I heard about your Busan trip," she started, voice cool and raspy instead of its usual prowess. That got Kyungsoo turning around from the sink with widened eyes. He knew Juhyun was aware of it, but wanted to know _how_ his friend Baekhyun managed to tell her.

"Who told you?"

Juhyun was smiling softly, eyes wandering around the room to everything _but_ her ex. "Doesn't matter who...did you have fun?" She said in a weirdly calm state. The shouting hadn't erupted yet.

The clock latched on the kitchen wall pinged incessantly as the time slid by, slow and painful. _Why wouldn't it speed up?_

"Yeah," Kyungsoo answered as the memories switched through his mind like a photobook. They were all so fresh. The beach, the food. "It was nice."

Chuckles spilled out of her mouth. "It's funny. You didn't meet my parents until we were a year into our relationship."

Those were words enough to cause him to freeze where he was. The thought of Juhyun regarding Ara and his friendship as a relationship was surprising. Do Kyungsoo had made it abundantly clear that he wasn't ready to date. Not with work, his daughter and the fact that the divorce was two months ago. _Nope._

"It wasn't planned," he found himself clarifying, even though Im Juhyun deserved anything _but_ a clear up. "She needed someone to drive her there. It's the least I could do for someone who helped out with Kyungri out of her spare time."

"Least you could do? Kyungsoo, I don't know if you're aware of this but Busan isn't ' _least I can do'_ , it's across the country."

"Why are you stressing?" He asked Juhyun as composed as he could in this tense moment, but the words came out sharp. She flinched before exhaling loudly.

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes rudely, grasping onto his empty glass of water. "A bit too late for that, don't you think?"

"I—I," she whimpered before biting her lip and staring at Kyungsoo's aggravated self. "I treat you as if you're a child, don't I?"

A shrill laugh left his mouth as he lightened up a little. "Sometimes I don't feel older than Kyungri when I'm with you."

Juhyun bravely leaned over, nudging Kyungsoo's shoulder whilst grinning and looking up at the time. It had flew past while they were talking and was almost eleven thirty at night. About an hour after the others left. _Why couldn't Juhyun just go home?_ He thought, knowing if her fiancé knew she was hanging out with her ex late at night, he would freak out.

After a small pause for silence, both standing either side one another in the compact kitchen just reminiscing, she decided it was time for her to leave. Both had a long day of work ahead of them the next day and needed sleep to prevent them from dying of exhaustion halfway through.

As Im Juhyun picked up her bags and was standing near the front door whilst Kyungsoo held it open, she gently wrapped her thin arms around his neck, basking herself in his musky fragrance that had once been second nature to her; comparing how different Junmyeon's sweet smell was to Kyungsoo's slightly spiced scent was. She smiled. As awkward as it was, Do Kyungsoo found himself hugging her back, chin carefully situated on the silky smooth hair Juhyun spent hours perfecting. It was all too close to home.

Standing on her tip toes, Juhyun moved close to his ear. "Thank you, Kyungsoo. _Thank you for everything._ "

—»


	18. babysitter ༄ sixteen

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**TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE WEDDING**. The past week, filled with Jung Ara rushing from university to look after Kyungsoo's small child, zoomed by, everyone busy planning their outfits and so for the special day due near the end of Autumn October.

Taeyeon and Ara were walking through central Seoul's shop covered high street linking arms, bodies covered in warm coats and fashionable scarves — ready to buy their dresses for the wedding. Taeyeon was one of the bridesmaids for the wedding alongside one of Juhyun's lifelong friends, so she was going to wear a floor length cream dress. It was already ordered and all she needed to do was retrieve it from the shop, whilst Ara needed to _buy_ a new dress. She was extremely broke and only had enough to buy one from a mid to low end shop, unlike Taeyeon's which was from an expensive store _paid_ by the bride herself.

"What kind of dress are you looking for, Jung?" Taeyeon asked, skimming through a bunch of cute dresses that had astronomically high prices. _Not them certainly._

Ara tilted her head. "Something modest but pretty."

"That _really_ narrows it down," Taeyeon frowned. "Thank you for your help."

At that moment, Ara was swiping back and forth on her phone dangerously close to low battery. On cue it turned off to her despair.

"Darn it," she grumbled. "What were you saying?"

Taeyeon gave her a brisk shake. "I'm seriously going to slap you, Ara! I don't know about you but _I_ have a lasagne waiting for me at home, so let's quicken the pace."

Finally, Ara found the nicest dress she'd seen in a while. Skimming just above her knees, the dress had a modest neckline, the first layer white net emboidered with simple patterns, then the bottom layer silk: a slightly metallic pink color. Paired with white heels, it actually looked very pretty. However, the price wasn't _as_ pretty.

"Ara, when's your birthday?" Taeyeon inquired when she saw the puzzled girl stare forlonly at the price tag. She turned back at her older friend even more puzzled.

"It was in July, how come?"

Snatching the shoes and dress from Ara's grasp, Taeyeon swiftly bounded towards the checkout to pay for the clothes. "Consider this a late birthday gift." As she paid for the lot.

The former felt bad for making Taeyeon pay for it all — she didn't want to seem like a charity case, but she was grateful that she never made Ara seem like one. It just felt like a friend was helping another friend rather than pitying her. Taeyeon absolutely adored the younger; seeing her as a best friend that she'd never really been able to have throughout her almost thirty years of living. She _did_ have a best friend once upon a time — Hwang Miyoung — but after finishing her degree at the same university as Taeyeon, she packed her bags and moved back to her home country, America.

Taeyeon switched on her own phone, checking the time. It was darkening outside because it was mid autumn where the days were short. "Are you peckish? Baekhyun and Chanyeol are at some burger restaurant nearby and invited us."

All the money she bought today retained because of Taeyeon's sweet deed, Ara shrugged. "Yeah, I could do with a milkshake." She had already eaten prior to meeting up with her.

The burger shop was nearby — a five minute walk to be precise. A woody brown interior with a large blackboard covering one wall where visitors could write a cute message to the restaurant, it was empty except the pair of guys sitting at the end waving their hands crazily to get the attention of the duo. They were both eating burgers bigger than their own heads.

"Hey," Chanyeol greeted, hugging both tightly with his extra long arms. "It's great you came to meet us!"

Once the girls were seated on the comfortable sofa seats, Baekhyun began grinning towards Ara. "S _o_ , how was Busan?"

"It was lovely," Ara simply replied to prevent the conversation from steering towards what she knew it was going to lead to. Baekhyun was a very curious person, sometimes it was a little _too_ curious.

"What did you do?"

Her eyes casted down to the inviting menu in front of her. The mouth–watering sundaes piled high with cherries and chocolate, waffles, milkshakes... "Just hung out with my family, went to the beach."

"What did Kyungsoo do?"

Baekhyun had teasingly said his friend's name, smirking in accomplishment upon seeing Jung Ara squirm under his stare. She wouldn't even lay eyes on him, too afraid that looking up would reveal her probably tomato colored face. Cheeks burning and hands shaking, Ara turned over the menu.

"He mainly stayed at home," she fibbed, making sure not to pose a risk of revealing what actually happened. "Didn't really do much. Can we order?"

Hearing Ara's desperation for the conversation to divert was painful for Taeyeon, so the latter cheerfully nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm craving something sweet. Do you wanna share a sundae?"

"Only if it's cookie and cream flavored."

To her delight, Taeyeon had ordered an extra large of Ara's favorite flavor; cookies oozing out of the huge cup and whipped cream practically sliding down the exterior. They dug in almost immediately once it was ordered, not even bothering to take photos for social media like they'd usually done.

The general talk between the quartet was shallow — beginning with the dreaded wedding as the pair of friends also went out to buy a suit for the day. They weren't the best men, surprisingly, it was Minseok and another of Junmyeon's friends.

Suddenly, Taeyeon recieved a call. The photo ID of Kyungsoo, an old cringey photo of the two taken a few years ago on a group holiday, popped up. She excused herself from the table as the conversation the trio were diverged in was quite rowdy. Her dark heels clinking on the tiled flooring, Taeyeon briefly stood outside the restaurant as she held onto the soft scarf keeping some warmth within her in the cold weather.

"Hello?" She started, a little startled as to why Do Kyungsoo chose to call her instead of Ara. _Oh yeah, her phone shut down_.

 _"Taeyeon,"_ his voice was shrill and panicked; Taeyeon's stomach churning from hearing it. Something was wrong. He didn't even address her with formalities, something he never failed to do. _"Is Ara with you now?"_

Her eyes shifted to peer past the glass to see Ara giggling away, eating the last of the gigantic sundae. "Y--yeah, what's wrong? Is everything okay?"

 _"Honestly? No,"_ he almost sounded like he had teared up earlier as his voice was oddly thick. _"Tell Ara to get home as soon as possible. I'll explain later, but it's super serious. Heck, tell her to come over to mine."_

With that, Kyungsoo hung up. Taeyeon's eyes were widened and the biting weather wasn't the only reason she was shaking. She pushed through the door to the table where the three were sat making comfortable conversation.

Taeyeon then made a wide eyed gesture to Baekhyun, who in turn realized something was wrong from her panicked state. She would have to say it later. But now, her main concern was getting Ara home. _Hopefully the issue wasn't too bad._

"Ara, we need to go," Taeyeon urged as Ara's eyebrows furrowed. Clearly she didn't want to. So she began to lie. "If we don't go now, I'm going to get a parking ticket."

Reluctantly, Ara stood up from the seat and said her goodbyes to the pair still finishing off their dinners. She was a little thrown off by Baekhyun's slightly pitying look, but she brushed it off. Anyways, he was an odd person.

The drive back to her apartment was tension filled. Taeyeon didn't speak a word; instead conserving all of her attention to the quite congested road ahead. She was gripping tightly onto the leather steering wheel to the point that her knuckles were white. Ara was utterly bewildered but didn't comment. Maybe Taeyeon was just tired.

The car parked right outside the apartment and the older pulled Ara into a tight hug. "Take care, yeah?"

"Thanks for today," Ara beamed, hugging her back. "It was really sweet of you to buy me the dress and shoes."

"Don't mention it. By the way, Kyungsoo wants you to pop over to his. I'm not entirely sure why, but you'll find out." 

Ara was confused with that but obliged. It was probably to do with Kyungri, anyways. Kim Taeyeon wanted oh–so– _terribly_ to go upstairs with Ara and see what was wrong with Kyungsoo, but she believed it was better for the pair to deal with the issue seperately. Anyways, if Kyungsoo wanted her to be there, he would've said so. She would just call Ara later on to see if everything was okay.

Gripping onto the new clothes in the bag, Ara practically skipped her way up to her floor and remembered Taeyeon's words to visit Kyungsoo. Why he wanted her on such a random day of the week was questionable, but he wasn't a man of ambiguity. It probably meant something important. To him or her, _that_ is what she was curious of.

Knocking onto Kyungsoo's door with a smile on her face, she was bewildered to be met with a teary one. _Do Kyungsoo was crying?_ His abnormally big for an Asian eyes was red and eyelashes surrounding them wet with tears. Upon seeing Ara's happy face made him feel even more nervous to tell her the news. The upwards curl of her lips quickly shifted downwards as she unconsciously placed a small hand onto his shoulder.

"Kyungsoo? Is everything okay?" She asked in absolute shock. Never has she ever expected him to _cry_. He wasn't crying at that moment of time but it was evident that some snivelling had occured earlier.

He moved aside to let her in, wiping the residue tears quickly. "Y--yes, just come in."

Ara's eyes locked to the phone charger on Kyungsoo's coffee table, immediately charging her phone and turning back to him. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

He bit his lip when their eyes met. "I don't know how to say this. Your Dad..."

"My Dad?" She breathed, confused. "What about him? Is he okay?"

Kyungsoo paused to think — he then shook his head. Seeing her enlarged eyes and fingers fumbling with itself in fear was hard enough. Now also having to bear the bad news; another blow.

"Your Mom tried to call you earlier, but it went straight to voicemail," he began hastily. "She was at the hospital. Because of your Dad."

At that tension filled moment, Ara's phone pinged to signify its return back to life. She turned it on; minutes slugging by like a snail, her heart racing faster and faster by the second. Upon its awakening, it revealed seventeen miss calls from her sister and Mom, messages begging for her to pick up. Her heart dropped.

"Kyungsoo," she began to hyperventilate. "What happened? I--Is he okay?"

That's when his heart began cracking also. Seeing her state made him hurt too. "No...last night, he had a stroke. The doctors think it was complications from the previous fall, and he was in a coma for the whole day. Then his heart began to fail and h--he..."

Do Kyungsoo, the man of limited emotions, failed to continue the sentence from the urge to cry. He'd only met Ara's Dad once, but the endearing way she'd mention him was something he'd experienced in his childhood. He couldn't imagine ever losing his loving parents, so putting himself in the position of his neighbor right now was unbearable to say the least. Ara was definitely not stupid. She knew what he referred to, and it was too much to bear. She stayed silent for a minute, just allowing the information to sink in as Kyungsoo kept in his tears.

Coughing a little, he continued. "It was six forty–seven when his heart officially stopped," he rasped out, looking into space as Ara's knees began to shake and she had to hold onto the table to keep steady. "The funeral's next Monday."

Hearing that somehow triggered a mechanism in Ara's brain as she found herself sliding down to the floor and sobbing. She'd never been one to cry loudly so the tears came out quiet yet heartbreaking. Kyungsoo was stumped. Half of him wanted to crouch beside her, comforting the crying body on his living room floor. But the other half felt like it was too soon. _She needed space_.

His signature phone ringtone flooded the room, prompting him to pick it up and check the number. Her Mom.

"Ara," he softly mumbled, holding the phone. "It's your Mom."

Her tear stained face came to view, Kyungsoo's urge to cry returning even worse than before. Never has he seen her look so vulnerable, hurt...suffered. He knew she's been through so much at a young age, living alone from her frail parents back in Busan, her Dad being ill. Sniffing back a sob, he carefully helped Ara up from the floor and situated her onto his sofa, sitting beside her for comfort.

 _"Ara?"_ The sound of her Mom's tears was enough for her own to pour straight out.

"What happened?" Was all Jung Ara could mutter at that painful time.

 _"I'm sorry,"_ she cried, hicupping from the sheer amount of crying she did the whole day. _"If only I'd just looked after him better."_

"Don't blame yourself! Please."

_"I can't help it... I'm so so sorry."_

When the conversation had ended, Ara was left in pieces. She threw the phone onto the sofa, covering her face with her small hands to cry. Kyungsoo wiped yet another tear slivering down his frowning face before pulling the hysterical girl into his arms, hugging and comforting her.

"It'll be okay," he murmured again and again as therapeutic as he could — the room as cold and biting as the outside. He was practically shivering until her warmth brought a little more heat to this particularly freezing day.

With her arms wrapped around him and crying to the point that she'd expected Kyungsoo's shirt to be soaking wet, Ara snivelled. "How do you know?" She squeaked, voice muffled from being covered.

"Because I'll always be there," he found himself promising with a cracked voice and eyes stinging with fresh tears. Thank God Kyungri was spending the week at Juhyun's. It would be too hard to cope for her. "I know I can't take away the pain, but I'll try my best."

The room fell silent. Ara's cries were subsiding, but she was still hurting so much. Her heart was being ripped into two. _Why couldn't she have just called her Dad before?_

With a whisper, Kyungsoo breathed out, _"I promise."_

_—»_


	19. babysitter ༄ seventeen

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 **ARA DIDN'T LEAVE THE HOUSE FOR A FULL WEEK.** This included seeing friends, family and even university. When the funeral emerged, her wealthy uncle, the brother of her now deceased father, paid for plane tickets for both Ara and Kyungsoo. Ara's Mom insisted he accompanied her due to her fragile state.

The flight went without a word. Ara bowed her head onto the tray connected to the seat in front of her the _whole_ time, the pair sticking earphones in their ears and listened to music. Luckily it was only an hour, unlike that long four hour drive.

During the duration of the whole trip — lasting two days and a night — Ara spent all her time crying with her family. Her poor sister locked herself in her room, staying there to mourn in private. Ever since she was young, she was abnormally private about affairs; even when she had dealt with serious issues, not one thing left her mouth. It was worrisome, dealing with everything on her own must be extremely painful and difficult. Lia was literally a carbon copy of her Dad. Both were very private. Whereas Ara and her Mom spent the rest of Sunday embracing each other tightly and sobbing. Her Mom gently stroked Ara's hair, her flowing tears dripping down her cheek.

Kyungsoo understood it was a hard time for them so he left, exploring the city on his own to clear his cloudy mind.

When night struck that depressing Sunday night, Lia still hadn't left her room and Ara's Mom fell asleep after their crying session. The youngest was stirring tea in the kitchen without the light on, sighing. So much had happened within that week that she'd never expected. Her university sent calls, messages and other forms of contact to see where she was as that week _conveniently_ was an exam that she'd missed out on. If it wasn't for Kim Taeyeon visiting the university and explaining what had occured — the university being very lenient and sympathetic to Ara — the girl would've been kicked out.

The others had tried to visit her throughout the course of the week or so, but she shut them down quickly. When Chanyeol was offering to buy pizza to hang out, she declined. Sehun with Mcdonald's? That was also rejected. The only person who did visit was Taeyeon, but that was for university reasons. However, that did stop her from entering the house and seeing the snivelling girl, hugging and consoling Ara for hours on end.

Here she was, stirring some extra sugar into the strong cup of tea as the memories of the week zoomed through her mind. Heart lurching and hands shaking, she threw the spoon into the sink with a loud _clang_ and picked up the steaming cup of tea and the one beside it. The one she made for Kyungsoo. Padding into the living room tiredly, she spotted him flicking through his phone, yawning. He looked up and gave a small smile towards her.

"Thanks," he mumbled before taking the cup from her. "How are you?"

That question was simple but deep. Ara didn't even know where to start. _For one, she didn't want to cry anymore_. "I'm surviving, I guess. That's what I'm grateful for."

Ara sat beside him as she sipped the black tea, watching Kyungsoo nod his head slowly. "The wedding planning has been postponed for the meantime."

"What?"

"Taeyeon's been a wreck," Kyungsoo began. "She hasn't been herself the past week. Ever since she went to your university, Baekhyun's said she's just stayed mainly at home."

Ara bit her lip uneasily. "No way. I didn't want this to be a big deal! Juhyun must hate me."

"She doesn't hate you," he retorted bluntly whilst placing the cup on the coffee table in front. "Juhyun's a snob but she has a heart."

"I ruined her plans! The weddings, what, next week?"

Grabbing her free hand, Kyungsoo made eye contact with her. "Trust me, Ara. Stop stressing over a non issue. She doesn't hate you over this; she's not a monster. Yes, she's a prada wearing she–devil, but Juhyun's alright. I'm sure she must've said something to you, right?"

Ara contemplated for a second before shaking her head. "No, actually."

That really annoyed Kyungsoo. He sat there defending someone who couldn't even put the effort to simply _message_ her. She set down her own cup of tea, crossing her legs onto the couch and relaxing a little.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," she admitted with a wavering bottom lip. "I don't have the heart to attend the wedding, finish university or even leave my house."

She exhaled for the nth time that week, eyes stinging and nose beginning to run. Blinking harshly to prevent any leakage of tears, Ara turned her head to the side so Kyungsoo wouldn't see. Well, he definitely saw. He pulled her into a comforting hug, rubbing her back in reassuring circles as she sobbed — probably soaking his shirt. That was the last thing on his mind; he was worried about her.

It took almost an hour for Ara to finally calm down and stop crying. She wiped what was left before painting a determined smile on her face. Tomorrow was the day of mourning anyways, she should save these tears for tomorrow.

"Thank you, Kyungsoo," she found herself whispering that Sunday midnight, regular people sleeping in their homes except them. They'd always been awake at this time in Busan. It had become a habit.

His bushy eyebrows quirked up slightly, intrigued. "For what?"

"For being here for me even though you had a life of your own. Missing days of work for this, staying by my side even when I pushed people away, caring for me. I don't think I could thank you enough with words. You've done so much."

"I do it because I care," he said, resting a hand on her narrow shoulder and squeezing it lightly. "It's nothing."

Ara shook her head defiantly. What he had done is practically the opposite of _nothing_. "You're wrong," she breathed before leaning in and leaving a miniscule but shocking peck on his cheek, standing up to get out of the room. "Good night."

This was one of the very few instances in Kyungsoo's slightly long life that he found himself without words. Being the sarcastic, apathetic small guy like he was, there was always words that needed to be sad. Whether they were sharp or sweet, it didn't matter.

Yet here he was, chewing on his bottom lip as his heart melted, dripping down to the depths of his soul like an ice cream on a scorching day.

 _Jung Ara was truly full of surprises_.

—

She would be lying if there wasn't a dull ache in her heart. However, like her Mom and sister, Ara had to move on. She still found herself sitting down in front of a picture with her whole family and mourning — snivelling and praying —but she braved herself and prepared for the outside world. Namely retaking the exam she had missed whilst being absent from university.

This included the quiet dinner Juhyun requested a few days after returning from Busan. She wanted to spend time with everyone before the wedding happened and she was swept up with all of the post celebrations including her lavish honeymoon to the Bahamas for a week. Ara was very envious at that as spending a holiday in an island was one of her greatest wishes. To Ara's shock, Juhyun had not invited the guys because of their tendencies to be rowdy; except obviously her calm and collected ex, and invited Taeyeon to be declined because she worked a late shift that night. Reluctantly, Juhyun also decided to invite Ara. Mainly because she pitied what had happened to her, and she knew Kyungsoo would bug her for life if she didn't invite his friend.

So as Thursday evening rolled in, Ara stood emotionless in front of her human sized bathroom mirror, checking out her figure in a dress she purchased ages ago but didn't have the opportunity to wear it. Knee high and simple, it was a faint pink color and looked formal enough. When the doorbell rung, she knew exactly who it was. Quickly clasping on a pair of hooped earrings and tucking some of her wavy chesnut hair behind one ear, Ara slipped on a pair of cream heels and wobbled to the door. Standing at the door looking casually formal, Do Kyungsoo gave a brief smile as she closed and locked the door behind her.

They walked side by side to the parking lot downstairs, Ara struggling to walk in the monster heels. It was one she got for her birthday — sent specifically by Mira, who'd thought her friend needed more classy shoes for this wedding.

Kyungsoo's eyebrows raised seeing her trip her way downstairs. "Need some help there?"

"No," she adamantly replied before almost falling down, grabbing onto his arm tightly. "On second thoughts...maybe."

He chuckled before unlocking his car door and leading the shaky girl to the car. Ara sat down on the front door in relief, not having to deal with walking for the short ten minute journey to Im Juhyun's mansion. When they finally edged their way into the posh neighborhood where also celebrities owned homes, the pristine houses standing side by side surrounded by primly trimmed front yards, Ara once again linked her arm with Kyungsoo as he dragged her to Juhyun's door.

Juhyun might as well have been in her wedding with her extravagant lace dress, delicately designed to hug her perfect curves and flow out. Suddenly Ara felt massively underdressed. She reached out her arms to pull Kyungsoo into a hug.

"It's been so long!" She exclaimed after also hugging Ara, pulling away to give her an uneasy look. "I hope you're okay..."

Attempting to steer away from the depression, Ara shook her head and forced a cheerful smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm okay. You look great!"

"Thank you," she beamed before moving to the side to let the pair into her vast home. "Come in, come in! Just be mindful of the noise. Kyungri's upstairs sleeping."

Ara gasped inwardly as her eyes focused around the grand home. There's no way Kyungri could hear them with the expanse. The living room was bigger than her whole apartment; that was a fact. She didn't know how two people, occasionally Kyungri, could fill this place up. The interior designer must've been world renowned because the color scheme was beautiful. _Imagine living in a home like this_.

Junmyeon appeared from one of the rooms downstairs wearing slacks and a crisp white shirt adorned with a striped tie. It was the first time Ara was to meet him, but she knew exactly who he was. When she spotted Kyungsoo's eyes narrowing upon seeing the man, she knew she would be sceptic of his presence.

"Ah, you must be Ara," he greeted in his very posh accent that only he and Juhyun spoke in. Shaking the girl's hand firmly, he turned to Kyungsoo with a playful smirk. "It's great you came, Kyungsoo."

The shorter bit back a remark, deciding to be a little more pleasant to the wife stealer — they were to wed next week anyways, whether he liked it or not. "Thank you for inviting us to your home."

"I cooked up some small dishes, if you guys don't mind," Juhyun fretted, leading the trio to their huge dining room connected to the lounge. Small dinner? It was _massive_. Enough to feed a country for a month, practically. Bowls and plates filled the already large table until there was _just_ enough space for the quartet to have plates in front of them.

On one side sat the happy couple, and the other were the mismatched, fake smiling duo.

The atmosphere was silent at first, all filling up their plates with Juhyun's delicious cooking, taking their time to try everything she'd mustered up. Ara was surprised at her talent. _What wasn't she good at?_

"How's the preparations going?" She asked innocently, chewing some tasty lamb. She'd hoped the preparations weren't halted because of her unexpected situation.

Juhyun bared her perfect rows of teeth out in a majestic smile. "It's going fantastic, actually. Taeyeon's been such a good help."

She thought about her blonde haired friend and couldn't imagine her _not_ being helpful. It was basically on her job description — and there wasn't once when Taeyeon didn't go out of her way to help somebody.

"How's your family doing, Ara?" Juhyun asked, her expression sympathetic. A little _too_ sympathetic to seem faux. Kyungsoo held back a scoff. He really wanted to swear, or at least criticize her lack of care. But Ara didn't question it. To her knowledge, Juhyun was just being sweet.

Ara squirmed thinking about her sister and Mom; suddenly wishing she wasn't sitting down and enjoying a gourmet meal with her ' _friends_ ' whilst they were probably struggling to get out of bed. "They're doing okay. We're on that moving on phase, just trying to live life as comfortable as it is, I guess."

Junmyeon sipped his wine thoughtfully. "I'm glad to see you're doing fine. Knowing that God is with you and everything happens for a reason."

She agreed even though she wasn't a really religious person. Her parents attempted to bring her up as a Christian, but Ara never really distinguished herself as someone that believed in a God. However, this whole ordeal made her hope there was one. She found herself praying at night hoping that she would smile geniunely instead of painting one on — but that wish hadn't yet come true.

Junmyeon was very religious. From the cross attached onto the lounge wall to the verses of the Bible daintly beside it, written in beautiful calligraphy. She wasn't very sure whether Juhyun was as religious.

"Taeyeon told me you got a dress," she said to Ara quite casually. "I can't wait to see it."

 _The dress..._ Ara hadn't even looked at it once since the day she bought it. She probably even left it at Kyungsoo's, for crying out loud. All in all, her outfit for the wedding flew out of her mind for the week.

"I can't wait to see how you look in _your_ dress!"

Juhyun flicked her raven locks with a beam. "I hope I haven't gained weight this week," she looked around at the full table. "Maybe planning a dinner when I should be slimming wasn't the smartest plan."

During the whole dinner, Kyungsoo stayed mute. He didn't like the idea of speaking to or at Junmyeon. He only spoke to the guy if he had to; eating his dinner quietly whilst savouring Juhyun's amazing food was a great distraction. Luckily for him Ara was back to being bubbly — or close to it. For some odd reason, Juhyun's kindness came off as weird. It sent him uneasy feelings, but he did not want to approach them.

The food was mostly finished about half an hour later. Juhyun insisted on clearing up and washing the dishes, adamant on Ara sitting in the lounge. Junmyeon accompanied her in hopes to get to know the girl better. At this moment, Kyungsoo still sat watching his very busy ex–wife clear up masses of dishes.

"I'm being lenient to Ara, not you," she grumbled as Kyungsoo stayed put. "I'm not a robot, help me here!"

So there he was, carrying expensive designed plates shipped directly from Beijing, making sure none dropped. He calculated every plate dropped will at least cost ten per cent of his salary that he'd have to pay back. It was a breath of relief when they successfully stacked onto Juhyun's large sink in the kitchen.

She brought out a small hose connected to the sink, beginning to wash down the plates in its turbo speed. Turning back to Kyungsoo, she tilted her head. "Dry the plates when I'm done."

Kyungsoo sighed and pursed his lips. _Still the dominant woman he remembers_. "Got it."

Whilst scrubbing down an extremely resistant stain on one of the bowls, Juhyun frowned. "How's Ara really been? I hope you're not giving her flack."

"Stop acting like you care," he replied bluntly. It was becoming irritating that Juhyun pretended to worry about her when it was all just an act to increase her reputation. Everyone knew that she was extremely particular with her friends. Maybe that's why Taeyeon's the only one who could actually stand her.

"I do care! She's my friend."

"Where were you when she was mourning about her Dad? Tactfully disappeared so you wouldn't have to deal with it? It's funny because you actually call that friendship."

That really hit home for her as she turned off the hose and leaned onto the counter. "I didn't want to bother her..."

"Bother her?" Kyungsoo was really on a roll here. He set down the towel he was gripping on dangerously tight before raising an eyebrow at what he saw as idiocy. "If you were really her friend, that would be the _last_ thing on your mind."

"When can we go one day without fighting, huh?" Juhyun bit back. "Every single day you have something to criticize me about. I tried, didn't I? Inviting her to this dinner for you. Hanging out her for you. Heck, the wedding!"

"Wow, so you only invited her for me? Here she is thinking you _actually_ like her."

"Of course I did it for you! Because you're so obsessed with her for some reason! She's your neighbor, Kyungsoo. Haven't you forgotten she's practically a teenager?"

Juhyun's warped view on age was irking. How could one as smart as her be so... _ignorant_? Kyungsoo couldn't think of a softer word. "Teenager?"

"You're nearing thirty and you're advancing towards a twenty year old? What are you, dating her?" She laughed her sickening chuckles of venom, eyes narrowed and lips smirking; ready to inflict even more pain. "If you're doing this to make me jealous, I'd be embarrassed."

That was _supposed_ to be a blow. The Kyungsoo last month would've probably stormed out of the house clenching his fists and hiding the humiliation until he drank his way to sleep. He opened his mouth to protest — ready to yet again hit Im Juhyun's stupid self with facts — but he bid against it. All he has been doing was trying to convince her, make himself more presentable and likeable in hopes that she would possibly take him back if it didn't work out with her and Junmyeon.

_But now?_

Kyungsoo realized he didn't _want_ Juhyun anymore. It was no longer attraction towards her. He missed her. That was it. However, all of that sentimental feelings towards his ex–wife vanished at that moment when she began blurting out all of her crap. He wasn't going to refute anything she said anymore.

"I think that you believing my relationship with her is to make you jealous is truly _laughable_. You live in this bubble where life just revolves around you, but get your head out of your ass and realize _this_ is reality, Juhyun. Now I'm actually starting to think it's the other way around. You seem to obsess about _me_ too much to be healthy. Remember, you're getting married next week."

His ex–wife stood outraged at his release of strong emotion. Not once in their relationship has Do Kyungsoo ever stood up for himself like this.

In her heart she knew every single word he spurted out was right. But being the stubborn, strong woman she was, Im Juhyun stormed out of her own kitchen. She clattered her way upstairs — never to be seen for the rest of the turbulent evening.

For the first time in his life, Kyungsoo actually felt victorious.

—»


	20. babysitter ༄ eighteen

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**A SMACK OF THE SNOOKER STICK VIBRATED THROUGHOUT THE ROOM.**

Baekhyun let out a gasp upon dropping it, causing the others to look up from whatever they were doing. "Oops, sorry!"

"What were you saying?" Kyungsoo sighed as he closed the book he was reading.

"Oh! Did you hear? Juhyun was _so_ close to cancelling the wedding after something happened between you two."

Immediately his head perked up and eyes widened dramatically as the guys also in the room's eyebrows raised. It was only a couple days after the quite...interesting dinner with his lovely and kind ex, and it wasn't like he told any of the others. Even Junmyeon didn't hear from the lounge. _Well hopefully not_.

"H--huh?"

Picking up the stick casually as if he hadn't caused a little trouble to Kyungsoo, Baekhyun shrugged. "You guys argued or something. At least that's what Taeyeon said."

"How does Taeyeon know?"

"C'mon, Juhyun tells her everything," he responded as if Kyungsoo was a simple minded man; though at that moment he felt like one. "I'm sure it wasn't _that_ bad, though. Was it?"

When the others looked up eagerly, excited to hear the juicy gossip, he sighed in defeat. "It wasn't even my fault! Juhyun just has a vendetta against Ara for some peculiar reason and I just thought it was unfair. Is that so bad?"

Kim Jongdae, the man with the smile identical to the _Cheshire Cat_ , began grinning deviously. His hand gripping his large phone clenched. "Do I hear a certain Ara in this mix?"

Chanyeol began chuckling from the other side of the snooker table after having his go. His widened eyes blinked in curiosity. "You know what? I think I heard the same."

Discarding his amazing sci–fi book, Kyungsoo grumbled at his immature friends. He'd wondered how someone as childlike as Park Chanyeol could be considered a prodigy, and how idiotic Kim Jongdae managed to finish his degree at the top of his class. On the other hand, mature and sadly miniature Do Kyungsoo was painfully average.

"I don't know about you but I was just being moral! Juhyun was totally out of order, _and_ I would defend any of you guys if she did the same."

Minseok bit his lip from the sidelines. "But if Juhyun was so upset to the point that she almost cancelled her wedding, you must've said some outrageous things."

"I assure you they weren't," he refuted with a huff. Even his friends were being sceptical of his argument — but he knew for sure he was right. "I'm not a douchebag, you guys know that. I wouldn't ever be remotely mean if there wasn't a reason to."

"But not once have you ever won a battle between Im Juhyun," Chanyeol pointed out, speaking about the lady as if she was a superhuman. "Let's be real here: admit to us it's because she shat on your beloved, _not_ because you're trying to fight for our rights or something."

As the others chuckled at Chanyeol's explanation, high–fiving and agreeing with him, Kyungsoo frowned. It was quite concerning to him that he simply didn't have an answer to refute his friend's allegations, rather just sitting there for moments just thinking. After his lack of response, he let out a last, dragged out exhale. The other's eyes all swiftly turned to him, eager to hear what nonsense he'd say next.

"Okay, okay. Maybe I'm not _entirely_ sure on how I feel about Ara. I thought it was platonic, but as time went by, it became clear that it wasn't," he admitted to everyone's bewilderment. _Kind of_. "I promised myself never to get involved in another situation like this after the divorce, but I, I don't know."

Bounding over to his small friend sympathetically, the quiet Oh Sehun patted his shoulder. "I'm glad you told us. But we'd be lying through our teeth if we said we didn't know."

"Huh?"

"It's truly a miracle to know that you've finally moved on from Juhyun, cause it was slightly unhealthy," he added in coolness. "And I had enough of seeing her smug face everywhere. She's practically in my nightmares."

This sent back memories shooting into Kyungsoo's clouded brain. When he actually began dating Juhyun in his senior year after years of an unrequited crush and many rejections, the others watched in sheer sadness. They knew he could do so much better than a girl who's main concern in life was whether her nails were primly filed and painted. Although Juhyun had been their classmate for years, also being a good friend of theirs, they simply thought she wasn't suited for him.

"Look, my main concern in life is getting Kyungri through her childhood," Kyungsoo deadpanned, picking up his long discarded book. "I'm not looking to seek a relationship at the moment. So let's just leave my confused feelings aside for the meantime."

To his not–so–surprising annoyance, they never let it go for the rest of the night.

—

"We've ordered the wedding cake, bought all of the decorations _and_ have the guest list for the special day!"

Kim Taeyeon was excited for the wedding, more than the bride herself. She stood in glee in the middle of Ara's living room, holding the notes she made for what needed to be done before the day. Approximately five days until the wedding of the century and there was still a lot to be done! Taeyeon had made it her mission to save Ara's butt; booking the pair hair and makeup prep from one of the most skilled beauticians in Seoul. When Ara saw how much it costed, she almost collapsed.

Juhyun told the girl to invite her Mom and sister to the wedding too — when her Mom found out about the invitation, she quickly booked the train to Seoul so they wouldn't miss it. Her family loved a reason to get out of their casual clothes and into dresses and makeup.

"Now we just need to decorate the venue and buy Juhyun's gift!" She finished, clapping her hands. "I'm oddly excited. Although Juhyun's been really quiet."

Ara was confused as to why Juhyun wasn't the most active on the countdown to her own wedding. It was after the dinner...

She remembered Kyungsoo was awfully flustered after leaving the kitchen, Juhyun herself running to her room upstairs and not even bidding a goodbye to the pair. Junmyeon was puzzled at that, instead trying to stay collected as he led the two towards the door. When Ara advanced to question Kyungsoo on his irritated state, he shrugged it off. It didn't seem like a shrugging matter anymore, though.

"This wedding should go smoothly, or should I hope," Taeyeon added with an uneasy tone. The same thing was definitely in her mind too...would the wedding be awkward now? Supposedly it would; Juhyun probably couldn't stand the look of the blunt and straight faced, quite possibly jealous, ex husband, and the latter wouldn't be eager to see her snide face anyways. Hopefully it wouldn't be _too_ bad.

"Has she been talking to you?" Ara asked meekly.

With a tilt of her head, she frowned. "Yeah, I visited her and she was pretty miffed. But I don't really want to go into details. Let's just say she's mad."

"Fair enough, but I hope it doesn't affect her mood when the big day happens."

An hour later of planning and discussing, Kim Taeyeon was on her way — lacking the jump to her steps. It was sad for her friend to see, the girl who could make a whole city light up with just a smile was so down.

When Taeyeon left, Ara sat in the middle of her living room just thinking. She was thinking about many things: her late father, her poor family, this dreaded wedding. She also began contemplating how different her life was two months ago; having only two amazing friends by her side, but now having so many people there for her. It was a blessing _and_ a curse.

Her phone beside her let out a shrill ping, Ara's eyes averting to it.

**KYUNGSOO:** _Are you busy? I'm in a coffee shop with an untouched steaming hot chocolate...your favorite?_

Ara couldn't help but beam at his message, eyebrows raising at the unexpectedness. She was already dressed and just put on a jacket on top of her jeans and top. Leaving the house, she made her way to the coffee shop. It wasn't one she'd visited prior — the address that was sent was unknown to her, but Jung Ara was willing to try new things.

Do Kyungsoo sat boredly at the far end of the café with no drink in sight. He was wearing a beanie on the top of his head, something Ara had never seen on him, and looked up to see her. In seconds, his tired eyes lit up and a grin grew on his face. Directing her over to the table, he gave Ara a sheepish smile when her eyes narrowed.

"Where's the hot chocolate I was promised?" She pouted jokily.

"Ah...about that. It was a ploy to get you out of your house. It worked!"

She sat in front him with a tired sigh, rolling her droopy eyes. "What's this rendevous about?"

"I don't know, just wanted some company. Being home alone without a certain little girl gets boring, you know?"

"So you decide to invite the most interesting person you're aquainted with. Am I right?" She responded with a devious smile on her face.

"You're not wrong, that's for sure," Kyungsoo agreed, equally smiley. Even though he felt lost without his small daughter and was at odds with Juhyun, being with Ara made him forget all that. "I can't believe this time next week we'd go back to our normal lives."

Ara briskly nodded. "Yeah...but I'm liking this wedding preparation season. It's getting my mind of the fact that I have a ten–thousand word dissertation due next month."

Afterwards, a homemade cheesecake garnished with candied orange curds, a mocha and Ara's promised hot chocolate were ordered. When they had arrived, she couldn't help but gasp at how good they looked; another photo to be taken for her Instagram. Complimented with two silver teaspoons, the two dug in.

"Why didn't you tell me about this place sooner?" She joked as her eyes lit up from the light texture of the cake. To her inattentiveness, Kyungsoo's phone peaked out from the edge of the table to take a snap of her refreshed expression.

"It was my little secret," he said after slipping his phone back in, consuming the cheesecake across from her. When Ara rolled her eyes, he exhaled. "Maybe Jongdae knows about it too? But be grateful, you're the first girl I've taken here _apart_ from Kyungri."

"Even Juhyun?" When he nodded, she grinned at his reply before sipping the equally delicious hot chocolate. "That's great to know. Honestly, I want to marry the owner of this place."

"Well, _she'd_ love to hear that."

Jung Ara's toothy smile was a stunning one. That was definitely for sure. It always managed to cave its way into melting the seemingly impenetrable walls of Kyungsoo's aching heart, reciprocating one of his own. However, he didn't want to sit there longing to see her smile for the rest of his shortening life.

So with a tug of her wooly arm, of course after paying the bill, Kyungsoo pulled her out of the café into the fresh air. October was surely a month full of celebrating; with the upcoming week filled with fun and parties, and of course Ara's favorite day. _Halloween_. She didn't know whether it was the abundance of free candy given to her or maybe the fact that she had a reason to sit cozy in her living room watching haunted movies that did it for her. A mixture of both was the best way to end the chilly month.

With a swift interlink of their arms just as they did in Busan, the pair strolled through the expanse of greenland near the café as yellowed, tinted with a hint of brown, leaves scattered onto the concrete pathway leading towards even more grassland. _A_ _picture perfect scenery,_ Ara mused to herself.

"I don't know how you do it," Kyungsoo murmured just loud enough for the girl beside him to turn in confusion.

"Do what?"

He shrugged. "Just be so positive even when there's nothing to be positive for."

Ara laughed, thinking he certainly did _not_ know her. She was the most pessimistic person in the planet. But instead of refuting his claim, she bit her lip. "It's just so much better to smile than to frown."

—

The time was eight in the late evening, and Ara still had some filing of her work to do in light of a full day at university tomorrow. She would take Friday, the wedding, off. Her sweet, elderly professor was a very optimistic man who took joy in the happiness of others and encouraged Ara to go, promising to send her the work she'd miss by email. She'd _for sure_ miss him when she left.

After digging through a week's worth of assignments she'd finished over the short weekend and filing them into her bulky folder, Ara brushed her teeth and got ready for a full eight hours of ' _beauty_ ' sleep. It wouldn't really be a beauty sleep as she woke up even uglier than the previous night: with a messy mane of hair and sometimes dried drool on the side of her cheeks when the sleep was exceptionally good that night.

She sleepily scrolled through the endless feed on her Instagram, one new post catching her eye. It was a photo of _her_. Ara's eyes furrowed as she studied the photo. The outfit was what she wore today, a cheesecake and hot chocolate in front of her and a big grin on her refreshingly happy face.

The caption was: _she looks cuter when she's not aware of what's going on._

She couldn't stop but gasp at it, reading the comments and responses from none other but the other guys, fangirling about the caption. She didn't even know what to reply with. So she left a like and a simple reply.

_what an ugly photo >.<_

From across the hall, Kyungsoo was also ready to enjoy an early night in. He had an exhausting day today from work to hanging out with his friends to meeting up with Ara. Tomorrow would be when Kyungri finally came back to his care and he would be lying if he wasn't ecstatic. She wasn't with him for two weeks due to the tragedy, staying with her Mom's for the duration.

Sitting comfortably on the sofa watching a boring TV show about otters, he lifelessly scrolled through his phone after watching his Instagram blow up from posting a photo. Once his doorbell rung, Kyungsoo hoped to expect his neighbor but was unpleasantly surprised to see Im Juhyun leaning on the doorframe. She was makeup free, raven locks down to brush past her shoulders. Unlike her posh and expensive outfits she usually adorned, she wore a black t–shirt and ripped jeans alongside some slippers. This was very unlike her. Yet it best explained the dried tears on her cheeks and her puffy eyelids. With a suppressed gasp, Kyungsoo was quick to pull her into his abode.

For the first time in a _very_ long time she burst out sobbing in the middle of Do Kyungsoo's empty living room. Her tears weren't as extravagant and flamboyant as her brash personality, instead reflecting the oddly demure side of her. Hands covering her face and shoulders shaking, Juhyun situated herself onto his sofa.

If the old Kyungsoo got his way, he would've already embraced his ex–wife into a secure hug, but he kept his distance. _If this was Ara_...

_Stop thinking about Ara!_

Shaking his head filled with a wandering mind, he sat beside Juhyun warily. "I—is everything okay?"

"Not really," she rasped out, suddenly clutching onto his arm as if it was her savior. "I had an argument with Junmyeon. Real bad..."

Although Kyungsoo was extremely baffled as to why she made the trek to inform him of this personal issue rather than her friends, the tears streaming down her face in lightning speed seemed to be more important than his own convictions.

"What made you cry?"

Juhyun swallowed before choking down an upcoming sob. "We've never argued like this. He's stormed off to God know's where! He hasn't been home for the past hour or so—"

A light switched on in Kyungsoo's mind. "—wait...if he's not home, is Kyungri at home by herself?"

"No! No, no," she assured him upon realizing what she'd just said. "She's at my neighbor's house for now. She's okay."

Letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, Kyungsoo nodded. "So what made you come here?"

"Because out of everyone, _you_ know me best. You understand me, which isn't something many people do."

"That's because we kind of were with each other for a pretty long time."

Releasing a shrill sigh, she leaned back onto the sofa whilst wiping the remaining tears off her face. "The fact that you stayed with me for so long just proves so! Whenever I'm sad, upset, hopeless, you make me feel better! You're the reason why there's still that small glimmer of hope inside of me."

"Look, Juhyun, I know you're down right now but I don't think this — you and I — is really the best idea right now."

"Why?"

"Because!" Kyungsoo burst out to Juhyun's surprise. "You're going to be somebody else's wife in five days!"

"You don't understand how much I _regret_ it," she gritted her teeth, voice dangerously wobbling. "I've never regretted being with you, but somehow, the whole thought of Junmyeon being my husband disgusts me."

With a raised eyebrow and a voice deep inside saying not to ask why, he frowned. "And why's that?"

"Because I'm still in love with you!"

That was a shock. A ' _shock_ ' actually was a huge understatement. It took practically minutes for Kyungsoo to get over those seven impactful words. He sat in front of his ex–wife attempting to say something to her hopeful face, but he probably looked like a fish with how his mouth opened and closed repeatedly.

Quickly, Juhyun composed her shaking self as she watched her ex–husband say _nothing_. "I'm just h—hoping you'd tell me that there's nothing between you and Ara...Kyungsoo. The things you told me on that night was from pure anger, not truth. Tell me that, please."

It may have been the most stupid thing Do Kyungsoo has ever done in his twenty–six years of respiring. Well, apart from the time when he once decided to eat a live spider after Chanyeol dared him to in senior year. He ate it, threw up and ended up missing the whole week of school after getting a stomach bug.

"I can't."

"Why not?" Her bottom lip quivered, eyes close to tearing up, the hands still gripping onto his shirt loosening and falling to her knees.

With a gulp, he continued, "because then I'd be lying."

—»


	21. babysitter ༄ nineteen

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**DO KYUNGSOO NEVER FELT SO UNCOMFORTABLE WITH HIMSELF IN HIS LIFE.**

After the most awkward situation a human being could ever suffer through, Juhyun finally left his house. When she turned to him so she could close his front door behind her, she was crying.

 _God_.

He'd never meant to hurt her. Never. However, it would be wrong to pretend he still had feelings for her when it was simply that he just missed her presence. It was super unfair for Juhyun to profess her pent up feelings for him not even a week before she was due to be wed! For the first time, Kyungsoo actually felt sorry for his old friend.

He told her strictly that he was no longer interested in rekindling a relationship with her. That night was full of tearful confessions. When Juhyun left at midnight, Kyungsoo found it hard to stop himself from tearing up — it was honestly difficult but relieving to have poured his heart out to her.

Kyungri was due to be in his care for another week in six hours and Kyungsoo was chuffed. He managed to convince his manager to let him leave early to pick her up from school and surprise her. He'd finally have someone to be with at home instead of eating cartons of ice cream and rewatching stupid chickflick movies. The amount of ice cream he was consuming was beginning to have a detrimental effect to his health — he _swore_ everytime he had something cold it triggered an automatic brain freeze.

Ara, on the other hand, was cool, calm and collected. She finally got her last assignment from her professor due for the next time she came back to university. It was a long essay in preparation for the twenty thousand word dissertation that would determine whether her three years in university were actually worth it. No pressure, though.

"You'd better take so many photos," Mira threatened as she dropped Ara off near her neighborhood since she was running out of gas fast. Mira just garnered her driving license, going quite crazy by driving and picking up her friends everywhere. "If you don't, I'll kill you."

"Will do," Ara winked in response as she hauled her lazy self out of the pine cone smelling vehicle. "Love you!"

As Mira backed away from the curb, she screamed a, "love you too," from the distance. Grinning, Ara stumbled her way through the park she remembered strolling around with Kyungsoo a few days back. She slung her monster of a bag over her poor shoulder, kicking crunchy leaves in the process as she walked peacefully through the park.

Her sister and Mom were due to arrive from Busan by train at eight in the evening and Ara's job was to pick them up from the station since it was a reasonable distance from her own apartment. It would be the first time in ages that Lia visited Ara from Seoul as it was practically a mission to get her older out of her house in the first place.

With wearing the new dress, her and Taeyeon's special hair and makeup appointment tomorrow and the actual wedding, Ara's mind was frazzled with so much to do. She was beyond excited to finally do her hair and look less like a hobo than usual, but she also wished deep down inside that she wasn't actually invited and that she could just go about her everyday life. Boring, yes, but it was comforting. Unlike many people, Ara enjoyed routine and staying consistent.

She bustled through the park soundlessly whilst observing the old couple strolling peacefully, the woman with her dog running amok and... _Juhyun_?

The smartly dressed woman stomed through the park, displacing leaves in the process, and caught up to the confused Ara. "I need to speak to you! Why didn't you reply to my calls?"

"Your calls?" She fumbled into her pocket to produce her useless phone. Turning it on, it showed a bunch of missed calls from Juhyun herself. She turned her head back to the latter, wanting to erase herself from the situation. "Oh! My phone was on silent, I'm sorry. What's up anyways?"

"I was going to fetch you from your university! It's serious," Juhyun huffed to Ara's sheer bewilderment. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Her eyes widened as Juhyun's pupils dilated from pure anger. "Tell you what? Huh? Let's just go straight to my place to calm it all down. I'm going home anyways."

"No! I'm not going _anywhere_ with you," the wife–to–be shrieked back as Ara attempted to grasp her arm gently. "And you call yourself my friend. I can't believe you."

"Juhyun, _please_ tell me what I did!"

Ara was perplexed at the situation. She was so puzzled at why Im Juhyun was screwing at her in the evening where she just returned from a hectic day at university. The last thing she wanted was a cryptic reason to be shouted at.

She let out a sharp sigh, the sound painful to Ara's ears. "If you're going to act so clueless, you didn't tell me about your relationship!"

"Relationship?"

That word was very foreign to the university student. It wasn't a word she was personally aquainted to since her gruelling breakup years back. Her confusion seemed to fuel Juhyun's anger further. The older clenched her fists, filled with hostility and fury — ready to dump it all onto the innocent girl.

"You didn't tell me about your relationship with Kyungsoo!" She deadpanned, Ara blanching in shock. She wasn't aware of it either. "Because he certainly had a lot to say about it!"

"Such as?"

"That it actually _exists_!"

Juhyun was screaming now, garnering attention from the fellow park users as she continued to scold Ara with no shame. The latter felt embarrassed, astonished and a little teary. She wasn't someone who's actually been shouted at in her whole twenty–one years of living, and it wasn't a good feeling. Especially because she didn't _know_ about it.

She began to backtrack on everything Kyungsoo placed onto her. "Look, Juhyun—"

"Don't _look, Juhyun_ me! You were meant to be a friend to me and you did this! He's _my_ ex–husband, therefore as a friend you _know_ not to date him! You're a sick excuse of a friend, you know that? I actually feel disgusted to be in your presence—"

"—what's happening?"

To make the whole situation more pleasant than it already was, standing hand in hand with Kyungri was Do Kyungsoo.

—

With Juhyun escaping to the confines of her own home, Ara was sat in her apartment with a stony face and tears still yet to drop. She was upset; Im Juhyun gave her the worst shouting at when her own wedding was tomorrow and Ara was worried her invitation was revoked. That would be terrible due to the fact that her family were on their way to Seoul today! She was also beyond angry at Kyungsoo for causing all of this. If he hadn't shut his mouth about her, this would've all been nicely avoided.

**TAEYEON:** _Kyungsoo told me you're mad at him. He's also told me to go pick up your family at the train station, so leave it all to me! Now go sort whatever rift you have with Kyungsoo because you two can't fight! You're meant to be our rolemodels!_

Ara couldn't help but grin at Taeyeon's cute message, mentally noting to herself to give her a huge hug for saving her a boring bus trip to the train station.

On cue, the door knocked. Ara stood up from her seat to open the door and revealed a remorseful Kyungsoo. He held a plate covered in cling film in his hands, and it seemed to contain a cake in the middle. Although Ara _could_ do with some cake, she was pissed.

When it yet again dawned on Kyungsoo that one of the kindest people in the world was angry at him, his heart sunk. "Can I come in?"

Ara opened the door slightly, not as happy as usual, but not completely cold to his relief. She watched his figure move to the sofa and place the delicious looking cake on the coffee table before him. Standing near the door with not a slighest grin on her usually smiley face, she clasped her hands together.

"Before I start blaming you unreasonably, I'm going to give you some time to explain," she began sharply, Kyungsoo cringing at her unfriendly tone. Not once in his life did he _ever_ expect to see her this mad. "So explain."

"Thank you," he uttered first and as sincere as he could. The only thing he wanted to do was to beg for her forgiveness. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to hurt her — but that's all he had seem to have achieved. "I didn't expect all of this to happen. Juhyun's never been the mature type, yet I thought better of her. And I'm totally willing to call her up and clear this all up because you did absolutely nothing. It was all me."

"What exactly did you tell her?" Ara challenged with a quirk of her eyebrow and a glint of curiosity mixed in with annoyance in her shining eyes.

Kyungsoo remembered everything he told Juhyun, but telling Ara seemed to be the hardest thing he's ever done. Well, after the whole looking after his daughter thing. But right now there wasn't time for cutting corners and saving his own ass in the expense of his neighbor, it was time for coming clean.

"I actually told her how much I liked you," he admitted to Ara's shock. After what Juhyun said, she had a small flavor as to what she was talking about, but it coming out of his mouth now was something a whole lot different. She stood there at her door without a single word in response. A little ounce of him hoped that she would reciprocate his budding feelings, but that was too much to ask. Ara was too perfect for someone like him.

He suited people with existing problems: people who needed a hand to hold, an ear to listen. For the first time he met someone who promised to do the same for him, and he's lost her already.

"Kyungsoo..." she began, unable to say anything but that.

"N—no, I get it," he frowned before standing up. "I shouldn't of hoarded you with my feelings."

She strode towards him, her mind swarming with conflicting thoughts and feelings. "It's not that and you know it."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm done! With everything!" Ara equally screamed back, letting out all of the pent up feelings she held from the rude Im Juhyun onto her next door neighbor who seemingly threw her under the bus. It was sad and she knew she'd regret it, but it had already been unleashed. "Firstly, I have to deal with your sad, jealous ex–wife who can't seem to get her nose out of my business. Secondly, I'm still mourning! The last thing I want is to be bombarded with other stupid, trivial issues that _I'm_ not even aware of. Thirdly, I've just started my period and I have the worst cramps ever. So today's really _not_ my day."

Ignoring Ara's last problem, Kyungsoo decided to forget that one as the first two were her main problems with _him_. He felt guilt wash over him, the pain of adding Juhyun to her stress let alone his was definitely unfair.

"I'm sorry, okay—"

"—please, just go," she concluded with her voice not amounting over a whisper. "Thank you for the cake, but I just need some time alone. See you tomorrow."

Instead of fighting against this, Kyungsoo accepted defeat and left.

What hurt more than anything was she didn't stop his figure from leaving the house once. Instead she watched. To Kyungsoo it seemed like her simply not liking him the same way his heart pounded extra fast for her, but little did he know thatAra was hurting _so_ much more than him.

He felt like throwing his small self into the bottom of a ditch. Maybe a cliff edge. Or the bridge stretching through a wide body of river. Entering the confines of his home where Kyungri was fast asleep on the sofa, he recieved a text.

**JONGDAE:** _If you're not busy, come over to my place._

Kyungsoo thought about it for a while before realizing he couldn't leave his daughter at home alone. Being at Ara's place was different, he was literally yards away, but across the neighborhood was too risky.

**KYUNGSOO:** _Can't, sorry. I've got a daughter, remember?_

**JONGDAE:** _Then I'll come over to yours! (: See you in a bit._

He frowned at the message. _What was so important for him to come over?_ Especially at this dark time. Sitting beside his snoozing child, he watched a few sitcoms whilst opening a bottle of strong vodka in order to forget the day.

The door knocked, Kyungsoo drowsily moving to open it to revealing Jongdae _and_ Choi Yuna. Their hands were interlinked, her eyes boring into Kyungsoo's intensely as her lips jerked upwards to reveal a sultry grin. The black hair she usually sported was replaced with an ashy brown.

"I hope you don't mind us coming over," Jongdae smiled as the pair entered the apartment beside each other. Kyungsoo minded, alright.

But he bit his irritation with a shake of his head. "No, of course not. Just make sure you're not too loud. Let me just take Kyungri back into her room."

After carrying the sleeping child and safetly placing her light body onto her bed, Kyungsoo returned to the living room where the two sat on the sofa watching the TV show that was on.

"So...what made you guys come?" He questioned once sitting down himself. It was the first time he'd seen Yuna in a year after her and Jongdae's previous breakup. Seeing her vicious face again made him feel disgusted.

Turning to his sickly sweet girlfriend, Jongdae flushed. "Yuna missed you. It was all her idea."

"Yeah, it's been so long since we've last seen each other!" She added, her calm voice sounding like death to Kyungsoo's ears. "I didn't want my problems with Jongdae to affect _our_ friendship. I'm just glad we can be friends again."

 _We were never friends_ , Kyungsoo thought. "That's nice to know."

"I know I had a bad reputation," Yuna began clearing her name to the uncaring man who just wanted to fall into eternal slumber at that moment in time. "I've messed up real bad. But I'm different now, I think — no, I _know_ — that Jongdae is the one for me."

Kim Jongdae's grin came into light as he clutched his girlfriend's hand tightly. "I feel the exact same."

Kyungsoo wanted to throw up. "Okay...this moment's cute and all, but all I just want to do, in the kindest way possible, is be alone right now. Is that too much to ask?"

Jongdae seemed to have understood, but Yuna's unmistakeable frown on her face proved that she didn't quite. To Kyungsoo's bewilderment, she didn't have a go at him. Instead picking up her belongings and accepting the cue to leave.

"I'll see you at the wedding," her voice dripped falsity, disguised with honey. "Have a good evening."

When the door slammed close, Kyungsoo finally let out a breath of relief. Finally, he could be _alone_. Returning back to the sofa, he realized that being alone unleashed all of the pent up thoughts and feelings he hid with the visitation of Jongdae and Yuna. Namely his relationship with Ara.

While he was cringing in every sort of way, the sound of small feet padding onto the cold wooden floor caught his attention. Kyungri, tired from sleep, edged towards her father whilst rubbing her eyes. She held onto a stuffed bunny that was a gift for her second birthday — Chanyeol's.

The first thing she did was situate herself between his legs, now looking up at him. "Daddy?"

Kyungsoo sighed, picking up his daughter and placing her tiny self onto his lap. "Why are you not asleep? I thought I put you in bed."

"I'm scared," she whispered shakily. "I heard loud things from the hall. Is Ara okay?"

For a young child of merely three, she was attentive. Whether this was a curse or a blessing was yet to be decided. Kyungsoo shook his head. "Don't worry about her, she's fine. Now let's get you back to sleep."

He carried the small girl straight back into her bedroom and tucked her in once she climbed back onto her bed. He was still quite intoxicated from drinking more than half of the vodka bottle, but seeing his daughter so worried sobered him up. Sucking her thumb, she gripped his shirt.

"Can you sing to me?" She requested in her exhausted, pleading voice that melted Kyungsoo's ice heart. It also brought back memories; the days when he was actually satisfied with life, married and happy, singing his lovely daughter to sleep every night without fail. Nowadays, she was lucky if he even gave her a kiss goodnight.

Kyungsoo took up the request and sat himself down at the end of the bed. "Of course, sweetheart."

That night, while Kyungri was dozing into a peaceful slumber, Do Kyungsoo drunkenly sung away his miseries and sorrows in an attempt to forget, yet treasure, the memories.

—»


	22. babysitter ༄ twenty

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 **MAYBE IT WAS STAGE FRIGHT OR JUST PLAIN OLD NERVES.** But Do Kyungsoo couldn't even think of standing on that stage singing to the hundreds attending Im Juhyun's anticipated wedding. He stood backstage of the venue with sweaty palms, a really uncomfortable black suit and his dark hair slicked back to show more of his panicking face. All he wanted right now more than ever was Ara consoling him but she didn't speak to him ever since yesterday.

"Kyungsoo."

His eyes casted up to see Junmyeon looking equally scared to his shock. The former moved to pat Kyungsoo on the arm gently with a genuine smile. Wow, the last time he's seen Junmyeon smile that wasn't fake was back in High School.

"You'll do great," he continued, Kyungsoo's eyes widened by the second upon hearing such positive words when Juhyun wasn't there to supervise. "Honestly. You're the best singer I know and you don't even have to try!"

For a second, the shorter was lost for words. But he quickly composed his confused self to utter out a response. "Thank you, seriously. You haven't been this kind since we were lab partners in Chemistry!"

Junmyeon let out an uneasy chuckle. "I know...but I realized today's my wedding and here I am picking fights with people I should be hugging and thanking every single day. So I'm giving you my sincere apologies. For everything."

"Maybe it just took a wedding to get your mind straight," Kyungsoo responded, feeling himself calm down by the second although he was still extremely bummed that the one person he needed more than ever wasn't there. "I forgive you. Juhyun and I were never meant to be and I accept that."

Junmyeon let out a sigh. "I was jealous. You've always been the person everyone loved, respected and appreciated. You have a beautiful daughter that adores you, and even Juhyun who worries about you all the time."

"We all make mistakes. But hey, you're married! Proves you did something right."

When Chanyeol peeped out to instruct the pair that it was their time to sing, Junmyeon swiftly hugged Kyungsoo before disappearing through the black curtains separating the main and backstage.

Chanyeol's face was very amusing at that moment. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly as his head turned side to side to comprehend what had just occured a second ago. "Um! You're going to sit with me and explain later on! Now fill my ears with your beautiful singing."

Pushing Kyungsoo through the curtains also, Chanyeol grinned from the sidelines. "Oh, they grow so fast..." he whispered as the song began.

Face to face with probably the population of Seoul at that moment, Kyungsoo let out a deep breath, closed his eyes and began singing. All of his problems seemed to ebb away slowly as he concentrated solely on not forgetting the lyrics and his voice not cracking embarrassingly. Ara sat in the audience beside Taeyeon, clad in her new dress and freshly dyed wavy hair, enchanted. His voice was even better than she'd expected and found herself not even tearing her eyes away _once_. Taeyeon watched in amusement.

After the singing finished, Juhyun ran backstage with her beautiful wedding dress and stunning makeup, hugging the pair. "That was so amazing! I actually cried away my mascara."

"Thank you," Kyungsoo replied humbly. He was smiling from ear to ear at his actually decent singing and was relieved nothing humiliating happened. "Junmyeon, you did really well."

"Not as well as you, but thanks," he responded before walking away with his new wife. It was tough for Do Kyungsoo to see his ex–wife do the exact same thing they did once upon a time, but he didn't care anymore. He moved on.

Sitting on one of the pristine circular tables with Taeyeon, Ara sipped onto some expensive wine. "Wow...I'm shocked still."

"Yup," Taeyeon laughed at Ara's still gaped open mouth. "Kyungsoo's vocals are one of a kind. Instead of being stubborn, go backstage and congratulate him!"

"I don't know...what if he's mad at me too?"

With a playful shove and a roll of her eyes, Taeyeon sighed sharply. "Go!"

Ara jerked out of her seat in the speed of light after Taeyeon's urge, clunking down the aisle with her high heels to backstage where she spotted Kyungsoo in a discussion with Baekhyun. Their eyes both turned to her before Baekhyun grinned and sauntered off. Kyungsoo stayed still with his doe eyes as wide as saucepans.

"H—hey," Ara began awkwardly, her eyes moving around the room to everywhere but his.

"Hi," he replied as emotionless as possible.

She fumbled with her fingers wishing she was everywhere but here, but at the same time happy that this is where she was. "You sung really well."

"Practice makes perfect, I guess."

When the tension filled situation got too overbearing for Jung Ara, she exhaled loudly. "Can we just pretend yesterday didn't happen?"

Shrugging casually but dying inside, Kyungsoo tilted his head. "Then that would mean I never told you how I really felt."

She probably looked half dead with how her eyes glazed over, mouth half open and limbs unmoved. When her senses returned after what seemed like decades, she raised a brow.

"Ah," was all she uttered at the start, clear eye contact with the person making her stomach turn with butterflies. "I see."

Her attempt to play his words off was cringey. Even Kyungsoo was very much aware of her lack of enthusiasm, instead casting his eyes down to the black flooring and placing his hands in his pockets.

They stood there without words before he decided to exit the premises, the awkwardness becoming too suffocating. Ara stood around, regretting what she'd done and feeling a tinge of remorse towards him. She decided to follow behind — not before waiting a minute or so.

Whilst leaving, something caught her eye. It might've been the worst time to interrupt a moment. Ara found herself in front of a couple making out; a very pretty girl with brown hair and a maroon dress, and a guy. She didn't recognize either. Until they turned their heads to see who's heels were clicking close to them.

 _Choi Yuna_. And definitely _not_ Kim Jongdae.

The eyes of the guy immediately was one that she'd seen everyday. Upon seeing Ara frozen in shock, they'd widened.

"A—Ara—" he began, voice trembling.

"What is going on? Baekhyun?"

Yuna's face was of regret yet not guilt. More like she was cursing in her head that she'd gotten caught, and as Ara stood still, she used this as an opportunity to disappear from backstage. Leaving the two to stay watching each other, eyes not wandering anywhere.

"How could you do this?" Ara struggled to even utter out without the urge to pull him by his hair and drag his cheating self to Taeyeon for her to find out. "Taeyeon trusts you!"

Baekhyun frowned, eyes slightly misty with tears. Though she didn't feel an ounce of remorse towards him. "Please, Ara. Don't tell her. It was a mistake...I love Taeyeon. I'm begging you."

He stepped closer to the disgusted girl with pleading eyes, hoping she'd relent to his begging. "Baekhyun, you're begging to the wrong person. It's Taeyeon you should be talking to."

Before scolding him more, Juhyun emerged backstage with a glass of chilled wine in her hand and the biggest smile on her face. It seemed she didn't decipher the looks on their faces as she continued beaming. "Hey guys! What are you waiting for? We're all having so much fun!"

She interlinked her free arm with Ara, surprisingly since yesterday the bride was shrieking at her, and dragged her through to the main venue where the tables were dragged to the side and people were dancing. Even Ara's Mom took off her heels to join in the fun. When she spotted her daughter, she literally pulled her to the middle.

"Where were you?" She questioned loudly over the music.

With a plastered smile, Ara held onto her Mom's soft hands. "Doesn't matter."

The dancing was so far the best part of the wedding where everyone, literally even the elder guests, stood up and danced a little bit. It was absolutely great, even though Ara's family were pretty much embarrassing themselves. It was so heartwarming for her to finally see her Mom and sister smile geniunely since her Dad died. To finally let go, enjoy what life they had left.

Sehun appeared randomly to Ara's side, taking both her hands and spinning the two in a circle of laughter and dizziness. The university student was drowsy and felt like her heel had broken under the weight of jumping up and down, but who cares? She was having the time of her life and that's the only thing that mattered.

She spotted Taeyeon dancing with her older sister, an unmistakeable grin on her face. Seeing Taeyeon so happy was something Ara wanted to hold onto today. _Just_ for today. She really didn't want to ruin Juhyun's special day.

Juhyun suddenly stood beside Ara, making the latter jump.

"Oh, God!" She exclaimed once Juhyun giggled at her uneasy state. "You freaking scared me."

Juhyun bared her perfect rows of teeth in a glamorous smile. "You couldn't hear my footsteps with the loud music Chanyeol put on."

"Yup," Ara's eyes cast to the hyper guy on the DJ booth, spinning some records and looking extremely focused yet having a blast. It seemed Park Chanyeol was a man of many talents. If only he could lend one of them to her...

"I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for me. With the wedding, looking after Kyungri and just being a good friend," Juhyun began in a serious tone which startled Ara slightly. "I've been an absolute cow to you and I feel absolutely terrible for treating you like crap."

The recipient of this heartfelt speech placed a gentle hand on Juhyun's exposed shoulder. "Honestly, it's fine."

"No it's not. I shouted at you in public for something _I_ did to Kyungsoo. My jealousy took over me and I—I guess I just buckled under the pressure."

"We all get stressed sometimes," Ara responded cooly. "Yesterday hurt me, for sure, but it's a one–off. I can definitely move on. Don't sweat it, enjoy your wedding."

"I can't..." Juhyun trailed off, her voice cracking. "I've hurt you _so_ much. I've embarrassed myself, you, Kyungsoo. You don't deserve this and I'll completely understand if you don't like me. I don't even like _myself_ at this point."

Ara bit her lip. She was surprised to say the least at the bride actually owning up to her actions and repenting. "Juhyun, I'm not going to lie. You've done a lot of — pardon my language — fucked up things to me. But guess what? I don't really care. You've done them out of spite because you haven't really gotten over Kyungsoo. I know you don't have a personal vendetta against me so I'm willing to move on. Stop crying!"

It was a shocking sight to see Juhyun tear up under Ara's stare, the kindness and warmth the younger was providing her bearing too much to handle. She felt absolutely guilty for every singe wrong doing she inflicted on Ara — she hadn't even done anything wrong except be there for Kyungsoo and Kyungri when Juhyun failed to.

Pulling Ara into a well deserved hug, Juhyun squeezed her tightly as tears softly dropped down her powdered cheeks. "You're such a great individual, someone Kyungsoo deserves. I never deserved him, and your existence proves so. Please take care of him for me."

For the first time, an objection wasn't at the forefront of Ara's mind. Standing back to bask in Juhyun's radiance, she nodded her head sweetly. "I will."

—

"Shouldn't you be partying with the others?"

Kyungsoo's head turned up to see Ara's figure advance towards him. He sat by himself backstage on one of the seats just thinking. About himself and what the future held for him and Kyungri, and the pesky, blood boiling, beautiful Jung Ara. She took a silent seat beside him on the cold, metal chairs.

"I'm not drunk enough," he joked as she laughed. "Ah, I don't know. Just thinking."

"What are you thinking about?"

"You," he looked up to see her now blushing face, her eyes averting to _anywhere_ but him.

Ara shuddered. "I—Is it hot in here or is it just me? I'm going to try and see if there's an AC around here..."

Before she could stupidly hurry away like she'd done earlier, a hand gripped her wrist firmly. Kyungsoo gave her a hardened look filled with tiredness and slight irritation. He let out an exhale. "Instead of running away from the elephant in the room, can we just talk?"

Ara wanted to be in her bed right now. Away from all of _this_. But she bit her lip and nodded her head. That's something she did owe him. His explanation. "Y—yeah."

Both proceeded to return to the cold seats facing each other, individually having a lot to say. But Kyungsoo began.

"I never wanted this to happen," he started, his voice strained and sad. "You're the absolute last person I'd ever want to lose right now. And it seems I have a knack of losing the people closest to me."

Acting on impulse, Ara reached out to enclose his hand in hers, squeezing it. By the look of his face, it seemed he was hurting for a long time. And she felt like she'd let him down so much.

"Ever since the divorce, I haven't quite been myself. Oddly, it's been satisfying hiding my true self to people in order to stop getting hurt. Like I did with Juhyun. I've managed to hold onto this, until I met you."

His visibly shaking hands grasped tighter onto Ara's, the doe eyes reflecting pure nothingness.

"I let my guard down with you almost immediately. And now that I've lost your trust, I can't seem to get it back up. I don't ever want to lose you," he found himself pleading even when she'd assured him earlier. He found his eyes glassing up with tears. "I'm a lost cause, and you've found me."

Ara would be lying if she said her mouth wasn't cooperating with her brain. What Kyungsoo had just done was open up to her, and she needed to prove to him that she wouldn't be like Juhyun. Yet she didn't know if his words were just candy coated to please her; realizing that he'd messed up big time and was trying to satisfy his guilt by begging for forgiveness.

"I've never once been in a healthy relationship, Kyungsoo," Ara retorted. "I don't know how it is to be loved and cared for from a guy other than my father. I'm not sure if I'm able to pour my heart into someone for it to get shattered in the end. Because you know what they say; everything that falls gets broken." 

It was kind of a mindblow to hear Ara's been hurt from guys before. The pair haven't really spoken about past relationships, and knowing that there were actual living, respiring, godforsaken men roaming the streets knowing Ara's heartbreak was in their conscience sickened Kyungsoo to say the least.

"I can't promise you anything," he started, a sting deep in his chest seeing the anguish on Jung Ara's expectant face. She retracted her hands from him, safely placing them on her lap. _They were shaking_.

"I'm going to find my sister or something..." She whispered as her voice had disappeared in pure humiliation and irritation. If there was somehow a way to transport her bed here, she would do in a heartbeat. Then jump under her covers and probably grovel until her death.

He sighed upon acknowledging his stupidity. Kyungsoo should really learn to speak faster as people assume things. "That's why I want you to give me a chance. To prove that you're not destined for heartbreak. That the two of us, people who's hearts have not yet mended from previous relationships, deserve love as much as everyone else. Will you give me a chance?"

Ara's expression softened and she quickly once–overed him to see if there was any sort of amusement present. In her relief, it was all seriousness. It seemed he was definitely ready to commit to his words. Maybe she really just needed to follow her heart instead of her brain.

She let out an exhale that was probably lingering in her lungs for the whole time. "If you're willing to stay true to your words, lead the way Do Kyungsoo."

Hearing the words that could mend the rip in his heart was so satisfying for him. Clasping her other hand, he gave her a geniune soft smile which captured her heart and made her lips swipe up to return a breathtaking beam. "You honestly don't know how happy I am to hear that...I've been planning this in my head for the past hour or so."

She let out a laugh, his widened eyes switching from her sparkling eyes to her pink lipstick covered lips, squeezing her soft and small hands tighter and leaning in as their faces were mere millimeters from each other.

"Guys, we're taking photos — holy _shit_!" Kim Taeyeon dropped the cupcake she was eating as she interrupted whatever was going on. Her mouth was open, her eyes moving to and from both of them as she stood speechless.

"I knew this would happen! It was just a matter of time! Uh— I mean, we're taking photographs right now," she began after what seemed like years of speechlessness. "If you _want_ to come, be our guest. But you don't have to, of course! Stay whatever you're doing, pretend I never came!"

She ran straight out as soon as she uttered the last word, leaving the couple to laugh harmoniously at her shocked state. Their eyes automatically met each other's, both still chuckling.

"Agh, she's a character," Kyungsoo smirked. "Shall we go take photos now? Before Taeyeon tells everyone and they tease us."

"I think that's a great idea."

She contemplated on whether she should tell Kyungsoo what she had witnessed earlier, but he was already walking towards the main venue. The pair stood at the centre of the stage where it was intricately designed with white roses decorating the stage, a glass sofa furnished with leather white cushions that looked more expensive than Ara's three year university tuition and a professional photographer taking photos of the elegant Juhyun and her perfect husband as they sat together linking arms and smiling.

When Juhyun spotted the two, she stood up and beckoned them over. "Come, come! I'm taking photos with my close friends now."

Taeyeon grabbed Ara's arm. "You've got to tell me everything. I want nothing less than _everything_."

"Ah, I'm sure you _don't_ want to hear that," Ara whispered under her breath. Luckily Taeyeon was too drunk to realize. Looking at her careless state, maybe right now wasn't the _best_ time to tell her the news.

They climbed up onto the stage to join the newly wed couple, the guys appearing from the other side. Standing demurely behind the sofa with Taeyeon and Kyungsoo either side of her, Ara grinned to the camera as the flash temporarily blinded her. Everyone looked pretty happy which was quite cute — even the small, adorable Kyungri was sitting in between her Mom and new husband, actually doing something other than staying poker faced.

The camera flashed many times whilst the jolly group posed for numerous photos cementing the wedding. It was mainly memorable for Ara; she finally felt part of the long–time group of friends, not the outsider that attempted to join through the cracks. It was as if she obtained membership that she'd been longing for ages.

—

"Hm, I'm glad we finally don't have to worry about this wedding," Ara mused as her and Kyungsoo, including his small child clinging onto her hand, walked straight into the lobby of their apartment complex. Her Mom and Lia retired early from the wedding, leaving about an hour before due to exhaustion. "It feels like a weight off my shoulder."

Speaking of shoulders, a certain somebody's blazer was draped over hers after she complained non–stop about the biting October evening. The time was past twelve at night so what did she expect?

"I do hope they enjoy their honeymoon because I'm really jealous. Rich people never have to worry about missing work whilst people like me do extra shifts for money."

"Yup...the woes of being part of a capitalist society."

They stepped into the floor where their doors stood across each other, the pair slowly advancing towards it. Once Ara reached her door, she gently released Kyungri's surprisingly iron grip from her hand and turned to her sweet neighbor.

"Good night," she muttered a little tiredly before taking off his cologne smelling blazer off her shoulders.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Kyungsoo replied — they both chuckled for a second remembering the time they both said the exact same thing to each other; when their relationship was strictly platonic.

They stood just staring at each other for a moment, a soft grin etched on both of their happy, fresh faces. Until she moved forward to plant one small, loving kiss on his cheek.

Jung Ara entered her house feeling more confident than ever before, leaving the flustered, heart striken and obsessed twenty–six year old accountant leaning on his door in pure shock and awe beside his small daughter.

—»


	23. babysitter ༄ twenty one

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 **TODAY WAS A DIFFICULT DAY.** When Jung Ara saw the text from Kim Taeyeon simply telling her to come over, she knew Baekhyun had told her. Quickly snatching her purse from the living room floor, Ara was determined to catch the first bus towards downtown Seoul where she could comfort her friend. Unless there was a different reason why she'd been invited.

But her suspicions were confirmed when Taeyeon had opened the door...teary eyed, dishevelled clothing and messy haired. Closing the door behind Ara, Taeyeon buried her face in her shoulder, squeezing her waist tightly as a stream of fresh tears slipped through her eyes onto Ara's peach cotton shirt. The latter was devastated for her and quite guilty that she hadn't told Taeyeon the second she found out. But luckily she didn't need to. It would be too painful to see Taeyeon's initial reaction.

"He's left," the heartbroken twenty–seven year old cried, shaking from the sobs. "Took all of his stuff. He isn't coming back."

Ara gently situated her onto one of the leather sofas before pulling her close and stroking the blonde wisps decorating her damp face. "What happened?"

"Yesterday, after the wedding," Taeyeon gasped. "He came home and began packing his stuff. I tried to stop him so I could find out why he was going so abruptly. He admitted he's been cheating on me for the past year...with Yuna."

"Oh god," Ara whispered in pure pity. Of course she'd seen the couple, but little did she know this relationship was for a whole year. Not only must that have hurted terribly for Taeyeon, but Jongdae must've been in huge amounts of pain also. "How's Jongdae?"

"Chanyeol texted me earlier. He said Jongdae's been crying too. I just can't believe it. The guy I've been living with, dating for five years, shared all of my deepest secrets with. Did any of that mean _anything_ to him?"

"Did he tell you _why_ he's been cheating?"

Taeyeon nodded a little. "He said he's realized that he hasn't been ready for a long term relationship for a while. Which I don't get — you've basically wasted five years of my precious life! I'm twenty–seven! I'm practically of age to be getting _married_!"

Cries yet again left Taeyeon's mouth as it dawned to her how much of her life has gone whilst being with someone who hadn't cherished it as much as she has. Ara wished that last night she did punch Baekhyun as hard as she possibly could have.

After Taeyeon had calmed down to the point that she was sipping a cup of tea on the plush sofas and her eyes weren't as red, Ara sat beside her silently.

"He told me you knew. But forced him to tell me. Thank you, Ara. Honestly. Because if I found out on the wedding, I would've ruined it."

That was a stress relief. Ara was praying that Taeyeon wouldn't be mad if she knew, but that wasn't even an option. "At least he did tell you."

"I feel worthless," she shakily mumbled, eyeing up the younger with pain and sadness. "With him, he's taken half of me. My soul, my heart."

"You can move on..."

Taeyeon sniffed, placing the steaming tea on the wooden floor under her. "I should've known. These past few months, he's been really...distracted? We haven't been — uh— intimate in two _months_. I thought it was me, maybe I wasn't as attractive as I used to be. But turns out he was sharing his intimacy with another woman! Not even a random person. Yuna!"

Kim Taeyeon, the bubbly, sweet girl was sobbing and clutching onto the arm of the sofa as if her boyfriend was still there. Ara was broken to say the least. Her emotions were mixed; she wanted to strangle Baekhyun but cry also.

"You're so much better than him. Trust me."

—

Do Kyungsoo was _livid_ to say the least. He was also making his young child dizzy from watching him move to and fro his living room routinely for the past ten minutes. Reading the message from Jongdae that he'd yet again had been cheated on was hard enough. But with one of his friends? That was definitely a blow. Baekhyun was ignoring everyone's messages and blocked his number; probably disappearing to get away from all the destruction he'd caused.

As he himself felt queasy from pacing, he got Kyungri ready for bed since it was becoming late. Upon touching her bed, she was already dozing off. The door knocked, causing the angry man to step towards and open it to reveal the person he most definitely did _not_ want to see.

"Baekhyun?"

Byun Baekhyun, the idiotic man who's usually crescent shaped eyes were puffy and mouth that was always smiley downcast and frowny, was standing in the apartment's landing with a suitcase and an expression of sadness.

"Kyungsoo," he started with a cracked voice. "C—can I come in?"

The accused was suffering from long, painful stares from the guy he'd considered a close friend. But the latter relented, allowing Baekhyun into his home. He was glad Kyungri was fast asleep in the bedroom because he was worried he would begin shouting.

Baekhyun took a careful seat on the sofa, dropping his suitcase by his feet. "I know you must be really angry at me..."

"I'm not angry, Baekhyun," Kyungsoo breathed, keeping calm. "I'm confused. I'm disappointed. I'm upset. I feel _betrayed_."

The last word caused Baekhyun to wince, realizing yet again the torture he's caused to the friends that had supported him since High School. He felt disgusted in his own skin; something he truly deserved.

"Jongdae must hate me."

A scoff left Kyungsoo's mouth. "That's the least of your problems, trust me. Think about your girlfriend."

At that moment Baekhyun began to cry, the thought of his girlfriend of five years probably crying herself to sleep and blaming herself was too much to handle. "She hates me."

"And she has good reason to. You _know_ how much she's gone through; how much she's confided in you. She lost her Mom at a young age, she's been lonely for so long. And you do this to her. You do realize she may _never_ recover from this."

"I know, I know. I should've told her. I should've been honest. But you know how hard it is to tell someone that you've been dating for five years that you've been unfaithful?"

That was the breaking point. Kyungsoo earlier attempted to contain his annoyance but it all came spilling out. "Then why did you do it? You didn't have to cheat on her. Taeyeon doesn't deserve you. She deserves _so_ much better."

Baekhyun wiped his never ending tears, frowning at the truth being thrown at him. "She does...she never deserved me. I've always told her that but she had faith in our relationship."

"Because, unlike you, Taeyeon knows what she wants. She doesn't break people's hearts. She's kind, loving. You really should consider what you've lost."

"I don't know why I did it, Kyungsoo. Really."

Do Kyungsoo sat down finally after walking angrily around his living room. Staring down at Baekhyun as if he was a repulsive creature, he sighed. "Why did you do it?"

"I really put in my head that Taeyeon didn't deserve me. That if I try and edge my way out of the relationship slowly, she wouldn't get hurt. Then Yuna and I's relationship escalated so much to the point that pain was inevitable."

"How did you hide it?"

"I bought a second phone," Baekhyun admitted in embarrassment. "Taeyeon once clocked on...she asked me and I said it was your phone and you lost it."

Yet another harsh exhale left Kyungsoo's mouth hearing this. "When it couldn't get any worse. Have you spoke to the others?"

"No. Chanyeol gave me a bunch of missed calls, I got kicked out of the group chat. I doubt anyone wants to see me."

"Then why come visit me out of all of us?"

With a bite of his lip, Baekhyun shrugged his shoulders. "Because out of everyone, you're the most just and fair one. You'd listen to me even if I'm in the wrong. Which I am."

It took two hours until Baekhyun stood up from the sofa and was ready to leave Kyungsoo's dark lit abode. Holding onto the suitcase containing his life, his past and now his future, the depressed man stepped towards the door with a cold and upset demeanor.

"Thank you, Kyungsoo," Baekhyun muttered, voice slightly choked up. "For letting me in. Something I was never really good at doing, as you can see."

"Look, I'll never agree with what you did. I'm angry for Taeyeon and Jongdae, but I know you. Just take some time alone to figure things out and then really consider apologizing to Jongdae. I have no doubts that Taeyeon will never listen to you, so there's no point."

He complied as the truth hit him right in the face. Then hugged the stiff Kyungsoo quickly before leaving. But as he was walking through the landing whilst Kyungsoo watched, Ara was entering her apartment. She gave Baekhyun a horrified once over, the latter avoiding her stare, and then turning her attention to her slightly awkward next door neighbor.

"Uh..." She trailed off, waiting for him to finish.

He replied with opening his door more. "Come in."

Ara immediately entered the sweet smelling apartment. _Hm, smelled a bit like cake_. Once Kyungsoo locked the door, she crossed her arms. "What were you doing with the enemy?"

"He came to me! Do you think I was going to deny a crying Baekhyun right at my doorstep? Anyways, I'm super pissed but I still owe him this. He's always been kind to Kyungri."

The suspicious Ara dropped her hostility. "Fair enough."

"Went to see Taeyeon?"

"Yeah," the memories of Kim Taeyeon absolutely torn still haunted her. Never did she ever want to see such a close friend that hurt. "Makes me want to throw Baekhyun into a pit of fire."

Kyungsoo raised a brow. "Should I be worried?"

"Shut up. Anyways, I have an assignment due that I must complete. I'll see you around?" She wriggled her eyebrows, playful. The pair were still deliberating on their status. The others were already aware of the budding relationship occuring between them. From the cute gazes to each other to the jokey arguments and the loving compliments. Whether they were going to follow through with their attraction was complicated. But _yes_.

"Yes, you will. Specifically next Friday?" Kyungsoo smoothly brought up. He'd gotten a day off at work for that day because of his extra work put in which impressed his boss. "If you can't make that day, I guess I shall have a date on my own."

Ara's mind swooped to her calendar. Friday, Friday, Friday... _free_. She couldn't help but grin realizing her first real date would be happening very soon. "Consider yourself lucky that you won't be spending that day on your own."

Obviously Kyungsoo became very happy at that but he played off the cute grin on his face with a stony expression. "Yeah...whatever. See you then."

"Bye," Ara waved as the two edged towards the front door and she found herself standing outside her front door. "Just remember—"

"—to bring Kyungri? Not this time."

—»


	24. babysitter ༄ epilogue

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**"HM, IT DOESN'T SUIT ME!"**

Standing right in front of the human–sized mirror stood an extremely sceptical Jung Ara wearing really wide earrings that pulled her small ears down due to the weight.

"Yeah, it doesn't. As a matter of fact, it looks ridiculous!"

Behind her was her forever bitingly truthful older sister. She was visiting Seoul for the week to see her small sister grow up to be an even more pain in the ass. And also because it was her graduation that week. Ara surprisingly did better than she'd expected, passing with flying colors. All of that excess revision actually paid off to her delight.

"Taeyeon's picking me up in like twenty minutes so please hurry up!" Ara groaned, irritated at her sister's calm stance. "I can't be late."

"I'm sorry, but if you want to go looking like a joke, be my guest," Lia bit back. "Otherwise, shut up."

With a frown and a clench of two fists, she stayed silent as her sister finished with the hair and makeup. Afterwards, she analyzed herself in the mirror. The dyed black hair curled to spring comfortably around her, the makeup looking prominent yet not _too_ caked, and the lace black dress that was shorter than what she'd hoped but wasn't terribly revealing to make her feel promiscuous. Her heeled boots were the great finisher to the dark, sleek outfit.

Her extremely volatile mood today was subsiding upon seeing her new style. It was triggered namely because she had woken up in her own blood this morning. Accompanied by crazily horrible cramps which made her feel like her stomach was being grinded in a mixing bowl, she also was very paranoid that one wrong move would cause an accident that nobody would forget.

"Okay, you look less ugly which is a start!" Lia clapped her hands sarcastically, getting whacked by Ara's black jacket. "I'm joking. You look really pretty. Enjoy yourself and make sure you're home by midnight _latest_."

Why Lia wasn't coming was a weird reason: she chose to abstain from all night partying to watch her favorite TV show as the season finale was on that night. Lounging like a slob on Ara's sofa surrounded by popcorn and other treats, she covered herself with a blanket and waved her sister off.

"When I'm back I expect my place to be in tip top shape."

"Don't expect much!"

Ara slammed her door shut and hobbled downstairs to see the familiar car waiting outside. Climbing in and hoping it wasn't some random creep, she was greeted with a huge grin.

"Hey!"

Sitting at the wheel of her new silver sleek car was Kim Taeyeon. She had the biggest smile on her jolly face, her restored black hair curtaining her small face. She'd also incorporated bangs into her look, something she _obviously_ suited. There wasn't anything she didn't suit...even the shocking blonde she sported a year back.

Kim Taeyeon, after suffering being cheated on by her boyfriend of five years, was surprisingly still the same bubbly, loud girl. Thankfully she'd never changed and vowed to stay single until she was thirty. Based on her breathtaking looks, this probably wouldn't last.

"You came exactly on time," Ara mused whilst glancing to her watch. "I'm impressed."

Starting the car, her old woman–like chuckle resonated the surroundings. "What can I say? Working with criminals has really made me sharp."

The journey there was swift and full of laughs, the pair joking around with each other. Ara really felt like her and Taeyeon shared a sister–like bond; whenever Lia wasn't there to support her, she definitely could count on Taeyeon. Something she needed especially as her two best friends moved elsewhere after recieving their graduate diplomas. Seungwan moving back to her native Canada, and Mira accepting a job in Japan. Of course Ara couldn't be more proud of the two for achieving what they desired, but she was also devestated at their departures. But she still had her other group of friends to fill the void.

They reached the destination as the clock struck nine in the night. Several people, including who seemed like Sehun, entered the building — a venue that Taeyeon had rented out for the evening. It was spacious, absolutely beautiful inside and a ton of cash. She regarded it as Ara's graduation gift. Alongside the really pricey shoes she got her for the actual graduation.

"Let's go," Taeyeon nudged the slightly woozy Ara out of her haze and the two left her car swiftly. Their arms linked together, the short pair of friends grinning away as the shining moon cast plenty of light for them.

The interior was breathtaking. Taeyeon had designed it with Ara's favorite shades and colors — she was a sucker for a deep red paired with black which made the place look amazing. Giving her best friend the biggest squeeze in the world, Ara couldn't stop smiling.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" She squealed as Taeyeon returned the hug.

"Don't worry about it, graduate. Now enjoy yourself. But don't enjoy yourself too much like _last_ time."

When she said this, Ara immediately blushed through her several pounds of foundation caked on her face. The former disappeared, leaving the girl to wander on her own. Two large hands grabbed her shoulders, making her scream.

She turned around to see a bashful face. "Chanyeol! You scared me!"

"That was what I was planning to do," he bashfully responded with before pinching one of her glittery cheeks. "You look very pretty."

Ara squirmed under Chanyeol's soft gaze. "Stop it!"

"Oh, is Kyungsoo going to get jealous?"

"Shut up!" She replied in quick fire before barging his tall self to the side. "You're so cheesy."

"Yeah...everyone always says that."

Jung Ara was surprised yet not at the same time at Chanyeol's lack of significant other. Unlike his closest friends, he was very inexperienced with dating — instead, it was well known that during High School he would have flings yet never respond to their calls and texts afterwards...

After he left her side to dance with the surprisingly already drunk Minseok, Jongdae's quiet demeanor caught her eye. Ara walked towards him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Everything okay?" She whispered as Jongdae's slanted eyes locked with hers. Biting his lip, he slowly nodded his head.

"Yeah, it's just today was meant to be my one year anniversary with Yuna since we went back together, you know? And the first thing I see on my Instagram is her with Baekhyun..."

"C'mon, Kim Jongdae," Ara coaxed gently before enclosing his wrist in her hand. "You need to forget about them. They're not worth your sadness. Look at Taeyeon, she's been hurt just as much. But we're all here to have fun, you know? Just for today?"

It took him some time to deliberate her words, but remembering that he had indeed come to celebrate Ara's success and not to dwell on his past, Jongdae stood up from his seat and gave her a sweet and swift hug.

"Thanks, and I'll try not to get _too_ drunk."

Before Jongdae disappeared to drink till his liver failed, Ara stopped him. "By the way, where's Kyungsoo?"

He looked down at his watch. "Hm, should be coming soon."

Soon turned out to be another twenty minutes as she finally joined in with the others raving crazily in the middle of the venue. It was great fun, admittedly, even when Ara wasn't the most lively person at a party. It was _her_ party, after all. In a rush, hands grasped her waist, making her jerk and squeal out of shock.

"What the—" a heart shaped grin was in her line of vision, making her roll her eyes in mock irritation. "Oh, it's _you_."

The latecomer Do Kyungsoo raised one of his brows, eyeing up the graduate with a playful stare. "It's me? Wow..."

"You're totally late! You missed my amazing entrance!"

He scanned the vicinity before turning back to her emotionless. "I don't see anything particularly extravagant. But maybe it's because it's a party for you."

"Your rudeness is not appreciated at my party," she frowned after realizing she didn't have a good enough comeback to his remark. Looping her arms around his neck, she hugged him. "Anyways, a party isn't fun without you."

He returned his hands around her waist, resting his chin on Ara's shoulder. "Yeah, traffic isn't as fun without you either."

The party had become even more boisterous as the others produced bottles of alcohol and were beginning to down them one by one. Ara and Kyungsoo certainly did not want to be involved with the mess that would occur due to everyone's alarming alcohol habits.

Kyungsoo pulled away from Ara, gesturing outside. "Shall we leave? Get away from the drunkards?"

"I thought you'd never ask!"

As the small couple left the venue, Taeyeon watched with a smirk plastered on her face.

—

"Welcome to my humble abode."

Ara, for what seemed like the hundredth time, rolled her eyes as Kyungsoo attempted to wow her with his people skills. Or lack of, really. She threw her light jacket onto the side of his sofa as her eyes moved around the spotless living room. For someone who is a female and is supposedly born to clean according to society, it was embarrassing that he was a lot more cleaner than she was.

"Where's Kyungri?" She asked after kicking off the painful boots and stretching her legs in relief.

He shrugged. "Ah, I actually left her at yours. Lia promised to look after her, so I guess we have the apartment to ourselves." Kyungsoo sat himself down on the couch, patting the seat beside him as Ara followed. "You can choose the film."

There were a vast selection of DVDs beside the flatscreen TV to choose from. She stood back up and read through them. Hm...was she feeling a horror movie? Maybe romance or action?

"Ah, yes!" She produced one of the many DVD's. "I'm feeling a romantic comedy."

"If it's Fifty Shades of Grey, I'm going straight back into the party."

"I promise it's not!" She laughed melodiously, triggering a domino effect onto him. He grinned in response to her laugh. "I hope your house has food."

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I bought some popcorn and chocolate, it's in the cabinet."

Soon after Ara brought out the treats and some blankets from an overhead drawer, she finally sat down beside Kyungsoo and started the movie. For the first five minutes, they spent it arguing who would take the caramel bar of chocolate and who would take plain. But they deliberated and decided to share. It took twenty minutes until they properly delved into the film, their eyes fixated on the moving pictures shown on the TV. Ara's head subconsciously laid on Kyungsoo's shoulder whilst watching.

The cramps that had been lingering for the whole day soon returned to her delight, Ara quietly wincing. Her sounds of pain didn't leave unnoticed by the person with sonic hearing beside her, however.

"If you're going to die, can you be a little less quiet please?" He joked in hopes to lighten up her forlorn expression as she grumbled.

"Ha, funny. I'll just bleed in peace."

Kyungsoo stared at the pristine sofa they were laying on and then her. "Oh _no_. Not on my sofas." When Ara looked geniunely gobsmacked, even when she knew he was kidding but was suffering from an incurable disease called PMS, he chuckled. "I'm joking. Are the cramps that bad, though?"

"Terrible," she puffed air out whilst her cramps continued to plague her. "But I'll live."

Their attentions once again returned to the film as Ara stuffed her mouth with chocolate and popcorn. It was always this certain time of the month when she bloated really badly at her face and gained an unhelpful amount of weight. But it didn't matter.

"Hm," Ara mused tiredly. "I just love watching films."

"That's why I took you out from the party," he explained, ruffling her soft hair. "I feel like we haven't spent enough time together. With Kyungri, working and such."

"Aw, are you that desperate to spend time with me that you deprive me of my friends?"

He rolled his eyes. "Shut up. No, of course not. But surely I matter more than them, right?"

"Debatable."

Kyungsoo stayed silent afterwards, refraining from his usual remarks. Then sighed. "You enjoy, and I quote, _chill_ things. Watching classic films with popcorn on your lap in the winter nights. Or fudge. But sadly there's no fudge here, and the weather's very autumn."

"I don't even care. Your presence makes up for it."

Do Kyungsoo pulled the slightly shivering girl closer to him, wrapping the soft blanket tighter across them as his lips lifted up into a smile hearing her endearing words. Even though he wasn't the most fluffiest human being in the entire world, his heart was melting slowly and the feeling was nice. As the film progressed, he left a small kiss on the crown of her head, Ara's cheeks immediately heating up.

Life was very _very_ good to her, luckily, after the bad news after bad news of last year; including her Dad's painful death. Though the wounds were slowly but surely healing, having to get to grips that the man she always trusted and loved was now gone, she wasn't alone. That was what kept her spirits up: she had Kyungsoo. A year later and she didn't feel down at all. Instead, her Dad's death motivated her to do things she never imagined doing. If it was the last year her, Ara would've definitely begged Seungwan and Mira to stay in Korea with her, but she let them go without a fight. Instead forcing _them_ to follow their dreams as she accomplished her right here in her new home city — Seoul. Surrounding her were the single most important people in her life. _And she couldn't ever felt more overjoyed_.

The thoughts filling her mind like the ocean prevented her from fully engaging with the gripping film; something that Kyungsoo was very much captivated in. When he realized Ara was staring, however, he shoved her lightly and laughed.

"Creepy much?"

As Ara was going to remark, the front door slammed open to reveal an overtly excited Taeyeon sprinting into the apartment and eyeing up the two. Her blue colored eyes, thanks to contacts, squared up the two of them before narrowing.

"So _this_ is why you left the party so early?" She hissed in fake anger. "So two you could cuddle? You guys could do that anytime."

"And reality comes to bite us in the ass," Kyungsoo whispered not–so–quietly to the now sniggering Ara, unclasping himself from her — something that was so achingly painful to do. "Nice to see you knocked before you entered."

Taeyeon just scoffed. "Ara, it was _your_ party. Drinking to my heart's content isn't quite the same when the person you're celebrating isn't there to watch with the ambulance on speed dial!"

"I didn't feel like sleeping in the emergency room today," she replied nonchalantly. "Anyways, where are the others?"

Just on time, four others enter the apartment, the last closing the door behind them. They were holding bags of food and, surprise surprise, _alcohol_.

"We thought to ourselves; why not bring the party here?" Minseok gleefully said before flopping himself onto the sofa beside the quite irritated Kyungsoo. "I'm sure you guys weren't busy before we came...right?"

Ara stood up. "No. We weren't."

"Yes we—" Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks after seeing her steely look. "—no, of course not. Make yourself at home!"

The other three guys, Chanyeol, Sehun and Jongdae, also sat themselves down onto the sofa. The numerous bottles of alcohol had been placed onto the coffee table alongside the food that Ara just _had_ to have. She opened up one of the bags to reveal pizza, and when it was _Chicken Mania_ , she definitely knew not to share with anyone.

"Thanks guys," she grinned with a full mouth after taking a hefty bite of the absolutely mouth watering pizza. "Really 'ppreciate it."

When she saw the boyish smiles etched on both Oh Sehun's and Park Chanyeol's ( _undeniably handsome_ ) faces, memories entered her mind. Last year's situation when they had kept Ara's particularly upset self company after a tragedy occured in her family. It turned out to be one of Kyungsoo's cute planning because he couldn't personally be there himself. _Ah_...

Taeyeon perched herself beside the eating girl and took a slice; she didn't miss the hostile stares coming her way, though. "Have any of you guys kept in contact with Juhyun?"

Im Juhyun? That name felt like it was relevant years and years ago due to the lack of discussion regarding her. There were looks of contempt surrounding the room as everyone realized they never bothered to message or call her.

"If it really matters, she's okay," Taeyeon added after nobody replied. "Enjoying London."

Kyungsoo raised a brow. "With Junmyeon?"

"No," Taeyeon answered with a light shake of her head to everyone's surprise. "They're seperated at the moment. Junmyeon's actually in Beijing."

"What?"

A chorus of shouts of disbelief filled the room — the wedding of the century was all for nothing?

"Yeah, they had a really big row," Taeyeon continued as her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm sure they'll come back to their senses."

Ara and Kyungsoo both had identical thoughts based on the secretive looks they were casting at each other. Both doubted the couple would actually reconcile because of the drama that happened before the wedding. After the wedding, Ara had been filled in with what Juhyun exactly wanted with her ex–husband, something hard to grasp but she moved on fairly quickly. Whether Juhyun moved on from her previous marriage wasn't as clear.

"That's sad," Chanyeol mumbled, sipping some wine. "Juhyun's been married twice yet she can't seem to have a stable marriage. I do hope they last. Juhyun was stupid to leave Kyungsoo in the first place, so there might as well be a viable reason why."

Kyungsoo waved his words off. "Nah, I'm good. I've glad she dated Junmyeon. I've honestly been happier than I've ever been with her."

There were squeals and fangirling ( _or boying_ ) as the most casual of people, like Kim Minseok, started teasing the red faced Kyungsoo, pinching his enviable cheeks. Ara still sat gorging down the luckily still warm pizza before giving him a thumbs up.

"So, the next wedding between you two," Taeyeon whimsically announced, referring to the short pair. "I can throw in a good deal for decorations—"

"—never going to happen," Ara cut in. "At least not in this decade. I'm still young and at my prime. Relationships are simply temporary at the moment."

When everyone's faces were of pure incredulity, she burst out laughing. "I'm not being serious. How many other guys can handle my good looks to boot and charming personality?"

"It's a shame I haven't yet found evidence of any," Kyungsoo retorted, recieving a pizza slap.

When Ara calmed down, she set the half eaten pizza back in the box. "How come you guys didn't know about Junmyeon? Aren't you all in contact with him?"

"Ish," Sehun responded casually. "We were. But two months ago he left our group chat after saying he wanted to drift away from the High School cliques and all. Sad if you ask me. We were his only friends."

Ara swallowed the lump of pizza in her throat. "What about Baekhyun?"

"Ugh," Taeyeon immediately sneered, still sensitive. "Don't say his name in public. It should be illegal."

"I actually spoke to him a few days back to get some old stuff from him that he'd borrowed," Chanyeol began as all eyes turned to him. "He's happy. Still feels bad, of course, but at least he's finally at peace. So are we."

An hour passed in the Do household, the seven mismatched, argumentative, loving people screaming and laughing at one another, reminiscing the short and long term memories they'd shared with one another.

Until Park Chanyeol picked up one of the many bags they entered with. "Guys, it's basically midnight. I got a deal on a bunch of fireworks, let's go downstairs and make good use of them!"

Everyone was pretty much up for it instead of gossiping. They did it _all_ the time anyways. Leaving the apartment complex bundled up in coats and scarves because of the freezing night temperature, they all bustled downstairs to the nearby park where it was luckily very empty. Namely because it was late night and people preferred to be warm at home rather than outside.

Taeyeon was linking her arm with Ara, the stupid girl forgetting to bring her jacket with her and sharing Ara's thick scarf. "To warn you all, I have a fear of fireworks. So let's try and refrain from lighting them near me."

"Sad," Ara consoled the shivering person clinging on to her. Chanyeol had distributed the packets to everyone, Ara opening it up to reveal a few sparklers and one firework. She handed the packets of sparklers to Taeyeon who opened it and lit it up. They both held one each.

"Look!" Taeyeon gasped as her sparkler glided through the air to produce colorful lines and patterns. "Try it!"

Ara followed, swirling the stick around and writing her name, drawing other trivial patterns and so on. It was actually really fun. She almost forgot the temperature was below freezing and everytime she breathed out, a puff of smoke was emitted. _Almost_. As this was happening, the others set off a firework which pushed through the sky and set off an ombre of bright, shining colors to compliment the twinkling stars and full moon.

Kyungsoo edged his way to the very excited girl with a sigh. "How are you feeling?"

"Eh," she shrugged, the sparkler beginning to fade away. "The cramp pains have subsided, and I feel pretty good. Apart from the fact that I ate a little too fast..."

He laughed at her idiocy, draping both his arms around her in a backhug. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Hm, because I always do it?"

"You two! C'mon, you're going to miss the annual firework show!" The desperate shouts from none other but Chanyeol himself was directed to the couple. The two identically rolled their eyes and went over to the five over excited individuals starting up the first firework. It blasted up into the air, breaking up into colorful sparks. It was breathtaking; how a simple couple of tubes could amount to so much beauty. The group watched in gasps, laughs and claps.

"Honestly, that made my year," Sehun remarked, turning to the others. "Gotta love fireworks."

"What did you wish for?" Ara faced her small, cute boyfriend of a year with an intrigued look on her face.

Kyungsoo sighed. "I didn't wish for anything." When saw her confused expression, he laughed. "Every year, I always wish for the same thing: happiness. For the first time in _so_ long, I finally got it. So there's no need in wishing for it anymore."

Ara couldn't help but blush and grin at the same time. She looped her small arms through to hug him, feeling his broader frame envelop her.

"You may be the most unreliable babysitter in the world, but oddly that makes me love you more." He murmured into her hair, feeling her hug tighter.

She pulled away from the hug to stare at his jaw–droppingly handsome face. "You make amazing cakes and daughters. That's why I love you."

Kyungsoo's eyes trailed from her soft hair to her glimmering eyes all the way down to her pink, pretty lips that she had an awful habit for licking. Imitating her usual actions, he leaned closer to mold their lips together, pulling her closer. Ara immediately responded, arms locking just comfortably enough, her hands ruffling the dark hair covering his head. One year worth of passion, love and considerable lust merged into one.

The shrill sound of Park Chanyeol's voice. "You two! Instead of kissing, we need help packing up all of this shit!"

As the couple simultaneously rolled their eyes, they locked hands and rushed towards the idiots, or friends, as they'd liked to be called. It was all weird to Jung Ara. How one small little girl called amount to all of this.

 _Maybe she should look into more babysitting jobs_.

**END.**

—»


	25. babysitter ༄ christmas edition

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 **IT WAS CHRISTMAS**. Jung Ara's _second_ favorite time of the year. After halloween, of course.

Maybe it was the festive lights that decorated Seoul in this chilly, exciting time; or maybe the fact that she felt so included, in love with the cohesion and closeness of everyone around her. Now that she'd finally got out of the tedious single—zone, Christmas was about to have a different meaning to her. That December marked a whole year and two months of dating her very snarky next door neighbor, the man who had an enviously cute daughter and knew how to make Ara smile every second he laid eyes on her. Extremely cringey and cliché, yes, but honestly it felt good that _she_ enjoyed this rather than watch these stories unfold in TV shows and pray that it was her one day.

Last year, Ara spent her Christmas at her childhood home in Busan with her Mom and sister, Lia, which was a very momentous day indeed. The first Christmas with the absence of her loving Dad — lost in a very painful and upsetting fight against early onset Alzheimer's. They prayed, cried a little and painted smiles on their mourning face. At the end of the day, he was finally at peace and they should celebrate that.

This specific December was to be spent in the bustling Seoul, the first of hopefully many. Christmas Eve had emerged and Ara was more than excited to begin the celebrations as she sat cross–legged on the wooden tiles in her apartment, continuing to wrap the last of the presents.

"Kyungri better like this," she mumbled to herself as her nimble fingers worked through the Rudolf the Rednose Reindeer wrapping paper, finishing with a flourish of tape and piling it onto everyone else's gifts. "I spent an hour waiting in queue for this damned toy!"

Upon finishing the extensive gifts that had completely depressed her bank account yet looked really aesthetic piled together, Ara sat up and began scooping them all into a huge carrier bag which would be transported to across the hall where she would be spending her first Christmas with the Do's. It was pain hauling them through, but luckily the distance between the apartments were anything _but_ lengthy so she found herself knocking on the door at practically midnight.

A slightly drowsy Do Kyungsoo opened the door, waking up a little to see the struggling Ara and grinning at her. "Nice timing, Santa."

"Shut up," she let herself in alongside the mound of presents, dropping them in the middle of the living room. "I've come! Bearing presents."

He feigned exaggerated gratitude, wrapping his arms around her like the small idiot he was. "You're the reason I still believe Santa exists."

"Get off me, child. It's midnight and I'm tired," Ara frowned jokily, hugging him back for a second before pulling away.

There was a neat plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk placed on the coffee table; obviously the cute four year old's doing. Ara reminisced how her Mom and Dad used to encourage her and Lia to leave a plate of cookies and milk for Santa, and when they were both full grown teenagers, her parents revealed they both snacked on their hard work once the pair were asleep.

"Yeah, she's been doing this since she was two," Kyungsoo explained once seeing Ara was staring at it fondly. "Did your parents help you do this when you were young?"

She nodded, smiling forlonly. "Yeah...before my Dad got ill. Anyways, it's Christmas! Happy thoughts, you know?"

"I guess," he responded before ruffling Ara's messy hair and pulling her closer to him. "Merry Christmas!"

"Whatever."

—

A pat on the face brought Ara out of her peaceful slumber. She opened her eyes slightly to see a playful Kyungri who began pinching her cheeks.

"It's Christmas," she breathed. "Santa left presents under the tree."

Waking up fully after adjusting to the bright light slipping through the curtains, Ara yawned. She could get used to this _Santa_ term. "Is that right? Shall we go and see?"

Kyungri nodded excitedly before grabbing Ara's hand from under the covers. "Yes! I want to open my presents."

From beside Ara, a still snoozing Kyungsoo heard this and forced himself awake. "Guys, it's like night time. I'm still trying to sleep!"

The clock pinging with every move the dial made displayed that it was past eight in the morning. Kyungri noted this, crawling towards her father's side of the bed and shaking him.

"It's morning! Look!" She pointed to the clock. "C'mon, please wake up!"

He sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes and picking up his glasses on the bedside table. "Ah, I see."

Kyungri immediately began grinning before jumping off the bed and leaving the room to probably wait at the living room. The chances of her sitting in front of the presents eagerly was high. Ara yet again yawned and stretched, quickly swiping through the messages of her family and friends wishing her a merry Christmas, turning back to the equally tired Kyungsoo.

"Taeyeon should be coming later," she mumbled, trying to hide a grin at Kyungsoo's slightly clueless face. It was taking him a while to adjust to reality.

He nodded innocently whilst skimming a hand through his dark hair. "Great. Let's go before Kyungri breaks all of the presents."

"Way ahead of you."

It took an hour until the trio were finally ready to open the presents. Namely Ara's achingly long shower and Kyungsoo spending an unnecessary amount of time trying out a new mouthwash flavor. Kyungri sat in the living room, clapping her hands when the two arrived. She picked up the first present: a sizeable rectangle box shaped gift covered in stripey wrapping with her name on the little label. Opening it swiftly, it revealed the new doll she'd always wanted.

Without hesitation, she hugged the box and turned to the couple. "Thank you!"

Kyungsoo shook his head whilst bringing an arm around Ara. "Don't thank me, it was Ara. She waited ages for the doll."

"It was nothing," she muttered, a little happy that her effort was credited. She leaned closer to him, her heart absolutely full with the joy of making Kyungri happy. It reminded her of her own Christmas with her parents and sister. After Kyungri opened up all of her presents, she whisked away into the confines of her bedroom to try out her new gifts. Leaving the two left to open up theirs.

First Ara opened her gifts. A new mug designed with a photo of her and Kyungri from a day out, the present specifically from the four year old. She squealed at the cuteness of it and swore it would be the only mug she'll use for the rest of her life. A charm bracelet given by Taeyeon, some festive pajamas, alcohol set and other trivial gifts from the guys. She snorted especially at the alcohol. Kyungsoo got a load of gifts also; his Mom buying him a pair of shoes, and one of his friends, Chanyeol, bought him a really small toy to signify his shortness. He frowned as he studied it, throwing it onto the sofa.

"Even Christmas couldn't shield me from being made fun of," he sighed in a jokey sense. He wasn't really mad, just humiliated.

"Anyways, open up my present!" Kyungsoo proceeded to open Ara's gift, revealing a watch.

"I thought it would be better to wipe away the memories of Juhyun being your wife, in a non jealous way," Ara explained after he picked up the very expensive looking present. "Apart from Kyungri, of course. It just made me feel awkward that even when she isn't here, she's _here_ , if you get me."

She was referring to the gold watch he'd always sported since being married to Juhyun. Kyungsoo found it utterly adorable that Ara thought over these kinds of things, even when he told her about the watch during their first months of dating. He left a small peck on her lips sweetly whilst picking up his gift to her.

He handed Ara a small box which made her assume it was a ring inside. _He'd better not be proposing_ , she thought as her hands worked through prising open the perfectly wrapped gift. Inside of it was a black felt box, again feeding the suspicion of a ring. _Please no, please no, please no_.

She was way off.

There was a necklace with a heart pendant in the middle, and when Ara discovered you could open the pendant, inside was an old photo of Ara and her Dad. They were both smiling contently at the camera, Ara being at least fifteen at that point with her black hair and no makeup face. This was the year her Dad got sick, and the last holiday the family embarked on before he was too ill to even leave the house. She let out a choked sob as her eyes misted over the beautiful picture, covering her face with a shaky hand.

"Your Mom gave me the picture," he whispered. "And I thought this could be a way of him being with you always."

Ara couldn't even respond with the surge of tears spurting out of her eyes, but her response was enough. Hugging her as close as he humanely could, Kyungsoo gently rubbed her back and smoothed her soft hair down. He knew that even though it's been a year since her Dad died, the pain would always stay fresh.

"Thank you," she sniffled on his shoulder, struggling to stop the tears. "I love that you did this for me, and I love you."

"I love you too, Ara," he answered immediately, a response he'd never have to think about. "Merry Christmas."

—

A whole group of people surrounded the flat screen TV situated on the wall of Kyungsoo's living room. They all watched, wide–eyed, as a classic Christmas movie blared out. None of them moved an inch. Ara, still feeling sensitive and sentimental from earlier, sat comfortably in the arms of Kyungsoo, her head resting on his shoulder and arms circled around him as he played delicately with her hair. The others assumed something was up with her, but were all too respectful to ask outright. Kyungri was sound asleep on the sofa, chocolate smothered around her face from a pre–dinner snack.

"Why does the dog always have to die?" Chanyeol broke the long held silence with a sniff, wiping his eyes. "Kill the man, I don't care, but not the _dog_!"

Ara shifted slightly from her place on the sofa, causing Kyungsoo to move too in order to adjust. "That's not very nice."

"I don't care," he responded in quickfire. "Animals are much better than us."

"Speaking of animals, the turkey should be done now," Kyungsoo interrupted while standing up and heading to the kitchen where the traditional Christmas turkey was roasting in the oven.

"That movie made me a newfound vegetarian," Chanyeol stayed adamant before taking a whiff of the turkey now out of the oven. "On second thoughts, maybe I'll become vegetarian tomorrow?"

Ara stepped into the kitchen also to watch her undeniably cute boyfriend tackle a massive turkey. He concentrated carefully on making it look and taste as good as possible, his tongue peeking out like it usually did. She leaned on the kitchen door with a glass of water, waiting for him to clock on that she was there.

He did after a few seconds, wiping his hands on the table cloth beside him and facing her. "I should put a bell on you."

"Then I wouldn't ever be able to sneak up on you," Ara rebutted as she took cautious steps closer. "That wouldn't be fun."

"Fun for _you_ ," Kyungsoo corrected tactfully, also edging closer to the grinning girl. He softly wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin fitting perfectly on the curve of her shoulder. "If the turkey gets cold, it's on you."

Ara automatically hugged back with arms around his neck and blew out air in a sigh. "I accept responsibility if the food isn't up to scratch."

"Can we just _fucking_ eat without you guys acting all touchy?" Chanyeol stomped into the kitchen, looking fake annoyed, and grabbing onto the tray holding the turkey. Sadly, whilst making his point he forgot to realize that the tray was piping hot. Dropping the tray on the floor alongside the amazing food, he shouted. "You guys are trying to sabotage me, right?"

Unlatching his arms from Ara, Kyungsoo slapped the tall guy's head. "You idiot. I just took it out of the oven." Scratching his head whilst staring at the now dropped food, he frowned. "What are we going to eat now?"

"It's okay. I'll order a pizza or something," Ara offered. She was still in the Christmas spirit and wasn't letting a hiccup ruin that.

Kyungsoo sighed. "Pizza shops don't do deliveries on Christmas."

"Then I'll collect it!" She replied cheerfully in contrast to his solemn tone. Whilst Kyungsoo was puzzled as to why she was acting so happy, she shrugged. "It's Christmas still. We shouldn't dwell on the mistakes and problems, but focus on the solutions."

She entered the living room to grab her coat and comfy boots so she could get everyone their food. They were beginning to get agitated since hunger was beginning to take over their rationale.

Upon entering the freezing cold air of December, she swore quietly to see there were flecks of pristine snow slowly washing down from the Seoul clouds. They landed carefully on her nose, perched on the top of her head and stung her already shaking hands. _This Christmas spirit was beginning to wear off_.   
Placing her hands in the confines of her coat pocket, providing a means of heat, she walked quicker in order to prevent supposed frostbite from setting in. Although she wasn't going to _die_ from the cold, it wasn't a pleasant experience.

As she stepped through the streets to the closest pizza shop, she spotted a figure coming toward her. She panicked at first as she couldn't quite decipher who this mystery person was approaching her due to the lack of light provided from the already set sun. But as the street lights shone in the person's face whilst they came closer, Ara gasped.

"Juhyun!" She uttered, the mentioned moving to hug the younger. "What are you doing here?"

Once the pair stopped hugging, Juhyun grinned. Still as beautiful as Ara remembered. "I'm back, finally. Left London and came back home. Where are you off to?"

"Getting some pizza."

Juhyun gave her a knowing look. "Chanyeol?"

"Yes! How'd you know?"

"C'mon, I've known the idiot for years. He must've done something," she explained as the two began walking. "You and Kyungsoo still a thing or am I awfully out of touch?"

Ara, slightly awkward, nodded. "He's great, honestly."

"Yup. He's the best," Juhyun replied, sounding a little melancholic. She stared in the distance for a while before continuing. "He always knows how you're feeling. Asks about your day, comforts you when you're feeling sad. You don't even need to _tell_ him that you're upset because he just _knows_."

Ara really didn't know what to say afterwards. She didn't want to add onto what Juhyun was saying in fear that she would be bragging; knowing what had happened between the two before the wedding. "Yeah..."

A bench came to their line of vision, and even though the cold was almost unbearable, the two found themselves sitting down and resuming their intriguing conversation.

"How's Kyungri too? I feel like such a bad Mom for not even being here during Christmas. She probably hates me. Oh God."

"She misses you," Ara admitted. "But you're not an unfit Mom or anything. You guys still video call regularly. Trust me, she still loves you."

Juhyun let out a sigh. "Hopefully. How's Kyungsoo also?"

Thinking about Do Kyungsoo and just his being always brought a smile to Ara's face. Juhyun secretly noted this, her heart warming. "He's good. Recently got a promotion at his job and we're currently looking for a new place to live. So yeah, time does fly."

"That's so amazing! You two really do suit. And I sincerely apologize for everything I've done at the run up to the wedding. My stupid, imperialist self couldn't handle other people's happiness. But being in London really helped me find myself, truly. I don't need a _guy_ to make me happy. I just need good friends. And I pushed you away only because I didn't want to face the truth."

"So what _did_ happen between you and Junmyeon, if it's okay that I ask?"

Juhyun pursed her lips. "After the honeymoon, the magic stopped. Reality kicked in. I was really _unhappy_. Alone, tired and slightly depressed. Junmyeon's a good person, really, but he's not _my_ good person. Before marriage I only pulled him closer because I was scared to be alone. But it came to my realization it's because I've never _been_ alone. And now, it's great."

"I also accepted that Kyungsoo and I were never meant to be," she continued slowly. "I thought I loved him. But I didn't. I was possessive and didn't like someone so important to me beginning to move on, which was selfish. And again, I'm sorry."

Ara shook her head and patted Juhyun's shoulder. "Don't apologize. It's the past, and it's Christmas! Time is designed for us to move on, because we can never turn back. So let's not turn back, okay?"

A geniune beam grew on Im Juhyun's symmetrical face, her eyes shining and skin glowing even with the darkness surrounding them. "Yeah. I agree."

"So what are you doing in this chilly Christmas night, hm?"

"Watching movies and probably cracking open a bottle of champagne."

"Well plans change, and you're coming over to see everyone, okay? There will be pizza!" Ara attempted to convince Juhyun, watching her face brighten.

"Okay."

After ages of more talking, the two edged their way to the pizza store, linking arms.

They arrived back to Kyungsoo's apartment, Ara opening the door with a pair of keys she'd acquired. The first thing she was met with was a strong hug from a certain individual based on the scent. The pizza boxes were almost squashed if it wasn't for Oh Sehun's quick response of snatching them out of her hands and opening it, the rest of the guys huddling around it like animals to prey.

Kyungsoo held on tightly, squeezing her and not even realizing the person beside her. Juhyun watched with a small pang of envy. But mostly admiration.

"I thought you died!" He squeaked once letting her go and giving her a panicked look. "You never answered your phone."

Ara frowned. "I must've left it on silent. Sorry."

"Don't scare me again," Kyungsoo finally exhaled, hugging her again and resting his head on her shoulder. "You're the only person in this cruel world, apart from Kyungri, that I actually care about."

"Kyungsoo, say hello to Juhyun," she hissed as he pulled away. Seeing his ex–wife made him immediately retract his arms and widen his eyes.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Juhyun," he apologized profusely in embarrassment and guilt whilst giving her a hug. "I didn't realize you were back. The last time we spoke you were still in London."

"Yeah," she trailed off slightly to agree. "Time surely flies."

As everyone settled down to celebrate the endings of Christmas, Kyungri padded into the living room to give her Mom a big hug and steal a slice of pizza. She perched herself on her Mom's lap to lean back to let Juhyun play with the soft strands of her hair.

But the door rung yet again to reveal Kim Taeyeon looking flustered and tired. "Sorry I'm late. I was on call at work. These idiots couldn't wait till Christmas ended to commit a crime, God damn. Oh, pizza!"

She threw off her coat and ran to the closest box of pizza, not even waiting to sit down before biting. Chanyeol held out his half eaten slice to the air.

"To the _past_ ," he eyed Juhyun, then swung his eyes through the room. "And the _future_. And being reunited for this special day."

Ara leaned her head on Kyungsoo's shoulder. "That was actually the most serious thing I've ever heard you say."

"I'm maturing, okay?"

Sehun smiled. "Merry Christmas, everyone!"

Everyone reciprocated the happy messages, Taeyeon being so consumed in the pizza accidently wishing everyone a happy new year instead.

Kyungsoo turned to Ara, lazily laying her head on him, and left a peck on her small nose. "Merry Christmas. Again."

"Merry Christmas to you too," she grinned. " _Again_."

**MERRY CHRISTMAS.**

—»


	26. babysitter ༄ twenty questions

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**"TWENTY QUESTIONS."**

Jung Ara had an intrigued look on her enviously pretty face, crunching on a packet of potato chips beside her. She eyed up the individual in front of her carefully, ready to take on the challenge.

"I'll take you up on that offer," she responded cooly as her hand darted yet again into the large bag. It was her favorite flavour, lightly spiced with paprika.

Sitting on the opposite side of Ara on her living room's comfy sofa was a smug Kyungsoo who held a glass of water in one hand and Ara's hand in the other. He held it tighter as the first question blurted out.

"When did you first begin to like me?"

Eyes bulging for a second from the sheer bluntness, it took Ara a couple seconds to recover and coherently finalize an answer. _When did she first like him?_

"When you drove me all the way to Busan and back, that's when I fully began contemplating whether my feelings for you were platonic," she admitted, blushing when his slight grin appeared in seconds. "I came to realize that it wasn't."

"That late?" He pouted slightly adorably, placing the glass on the coffee table without retracting his hand from Ara.

Her eyebrows raised. "Hm, when did you like me then?"

Kyungsoo bit his lip before thinking way back to when exactly he liked her. When _didn't_ he like her, to be honest? "When you told me about your Dad being ill...I thought it was really endearing that you'd trust me enough to tell me something so private."

Grabbing onto his other hand and pulling him a little closer, she couldn't hide the beam growing. "You're attentive."

"That's new to you? Anyways; who would you, out of the other guys, date if it wasn't for me?"

For a second, Ara's mind was blank. Surprisingly enough, even though the others were extremely handsome in their own unique ways, she'd never seen them more than just friends. Out of all of them, whos personality really meshed with hers?

"Probably Jongdae," she concluded. "He's funny and kind. And, judging by Yuna, really goes all out for a girl."

"Yeah, Kim Jongdae is the definition of whipped," he agreed afterwards, suddenly realizing how similar the two were. "I'm just really glad you didn't say Chanyeol or I'd cry. Girls always seem to go for tall guys."

She let out a loud laugh. "I'm really short myself, so. What was everyones reaction when you told them you'd be a father?"

"Both Juhyun and I's parents were really happy but worried because we were very young. Taeyeon fainted on the spot. The guys were generally overjoyed and slightly jealous that I became a full fledged adult starting a family. Probably also because half of them were single."

"You're kidding me!" It was definitely the reaction of Taeyeon that stuck with Ara the most. "I wish I was there to see her faint."

Kyungsoo shifted from the sitting position he was in, inwardly grinning at the memories swarming through his mind. "Yeah...it wasn't as funny at the time. What was your first impression of me?"

"I thought, wow he's decent looking in comparison to that old guy across the hallway. And then when you opened your mouth, all of that disappeared."

"Fair enough," he said casually before letting go of her hands completely. "It's cool."

"How many girls have you dated before me?"

 _That_ was a awkward question. Based on Ara's beady eyes, she was curious on what would be the outcome. She was praying it weren't, like, five girls, although it was unfair to him.

Kyungsoo cleared his throat. "Apart from Juhyun, two others girls? The relationships with them were pretty brief. How many questions left?"

"Fourteen," Ara replied before eating more of the tasty paprika chips.

"Okay...if you had a child, what would their name be? Girl and boy."

She raised a brow. "I don't know, never really thought of that. I don't want something cringe like naming them after their parents, but I'd want to name my son after my Dad. To keep his memory fresh, I guess."

Ara's voice slightly trailed off because of a buildup in tears forming around her eyes. Even if it was two years since her Dad died, it would never stop being as painful as when it happened. Kyungsoo leaned over and patted her shoulder before wiping one of the stray tears slipping down one eye.

"Anyways," she sniffed. "Who came up with Kyungri's name?"

"Both Juhyun and I. We had a pact that if the baby's a girl, she'd be named similarly to me, and vice versa," he explained, Ara nodding. "These questions are so dull."

"Think of better ones then!"

"Okay. Do you ever see yourself marrying me?" He asked with a quirk of one bushy brow. Ara was surprised to say the least. It was pretty abrupt.

She took her glass of water again and sipped it. "Yeah. I do. I'm not particularly someone who casually dates — and our relationship's gone too far to back out of it now, so."

"Too far?" Quirking his eyebrows yet again like the absolute idiot he was, Kyungsoo's gaze ripped into Ara. "Elaborate."

She immediately began blushing at the possible meanings that could arise from her answer. It _was_ innocent, technically. Or was it? "You know what I mean!"

"I don't?"

"U—uh, can you just shut up?"

He began chuckling at her humiliation but continued to jab into it. "I'm meant to be teaching Kyungri about the birds and the bees one day...might as well get guidance from an actual teacher."

"Kyungsoo, I swear to God," Ara quickly stood up from the increasingly confining sofa, giving him a steely look. She wasn't one to talk about inappropriate stuff. Kyungsoo wasn't either, unlike his trash friends who spoke of it regularly as lonely and single idiots, but it was amusing to see her squirm like this. "My apartment's literally a second away. Once I go in, I'm not coming back. Possibly for good."

Laughing uncontrollably, he attempted to grab her hands and pull her back onto the sofa. "I'm kidding, I really am! Don't go."

Ara sat back down with a grimace. "I'm watching you."

"Your turn to ask a question!"

"Hm," she contemplated. Since his question was pretty serious, she would reciprocate. "At this point of this relationship, would you say you loved Juhyun or I more?"

"That's a _nice_ question," Kyungsoo replied sarcastically. "I'd say I loved you both the same, in all honesty, because at this part Juhyun and I got engaged so it was pretty serious. But this doesn't mean our relationship will end up like Juhyun and I's. That one was a recipe for disaster from the start."

Ara nodded after a while. She obviously should've expected his answer but it was slightly painful all the same. Even though she technically _asked_ for it, the word love and Juhyun was still a little touchy to her. "Fair enough."

"Don't pout, you look stupid," he joked half heartedly, holding her chin with one hand. "Even if I loved you two the same at this point, I just know that for the coming years, my love for her and you would _never_ compare."

She attempted to play off the growing grin on her face with a bite of her lip, but it was simply impossible. Seconds later her smile practically reached each side of her face. "Ah, stop!"

"You're cute."

"I know."

—

An hour zoomed past in the household where the sun was replaced with a shining moon, darkness covering the skies. It was probably ten in the evening, hardly late. But upon seeing the pitch black of the outside made Ara yawn a little. She was just glad the next day was a Saturday, so it didn't matter how late it was. The twenty questions game had ended long ago, and the pair just sat under the moonlight, of course a ceiling above their head, talking about trivial matters. Friends, family and the future in general.

Holding one of the sofa cushions close to her, Ara nuzzled the softness of it with her nose. "I've got so much marking to do. I didn't realize how much _work_ elementary school children do."

"If you're feeling tired you can go home now," the surprisingly wide awake Kyungsoo mumbled, seeing her snoozy state.

"Really?" When he nodded, Ara yawned again and stood up. "Alright."

But as she was ready to venture out of the apartment, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto the sofa. "You weren't meant to _leave_!"

"Kyungsoo," she whined lazily as her back hit the sofa yet again. "I'm tired!"

"You don't have work tomorrow, so don't I. Stay here with me, please?" His enviously full lips slanted downwards and puffed up to form a pout, causing Ara to coo inwardly at his cuteness. She pinched one of his cheeks. She stayed mute for a few seconds as he chorused pleas until she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever."

He cheered before pulling her slight body closer by the waist, resting his chin on her shoulder and brushing his lips against her sensitive neck. "I'm so happy; the house is so quiet without Kyungri."

The young girl was enjoying a camping trip with her class for the weekend. She went this morning and Ara's heart swelled just remembering her cute self knocking on her door that early morning with a huge backpack on her back and a sheepish grin. Ara would miss her a _lot_.

"So I'm just a replacement?" She teased in response, sitting more comfortably and enjoying the sensations shooting through her. He laughed then, the feeling of it hitting her neck making her awaken even more. Suddenly the tiredness disappeared.

Peering at Ara's now alert state, Kyungsoo took slight advantage and closed the gap between their lips, kissing her hard. Two years in and it was like their first time, and he never wanted to get used to it. The room got hotter even if the weather was considerably cooler. Pulling away for air after her lungs were crying for it, Ara rested her forehead on his just smiling softly.

He returned it. "I love you. So much."

"I love you too."

As if a giant magnet was in between them, their lips meshed against each other again, moving in sync slowly. In between them, Ara's phone began flashing as her ringtone filled the room. She pulled away, which was pretty painful since he was biting her lip, to see who was the unfortunate caller.

 _Taeyeon_.

"Ah, Taeyeon!" She hissed and did not hesitate to accept the call. "H—hey, Taeyeon, _Kyungsoo, stop kissing my neck!_ " She said the last part outside of the call so Taeyeon didn't hear, but he retracted in misery.

_"Hey! I'm on my way to your house. I've got food, a movie, I just thought we could chill."_

Color drained from Ara's face. She widened her eyes at Kyungsoo who was equally panicked. The pair didn't expect Taeyeon to want to hang out with her _today_ , and they kind of wanted to spend this Friday night together.

"Tell her you're at mine," he whispered when Ara failed to respond to her. "Say you're busy. She'll understand."

The twenty–three year old bit the inside of her cheek. "Whereabouts are you?"

There was sounds of cars honking and hubbubs of the people which only meant Taeyeon was outside. _"Literally a five minute walk away. I'll be there soon. Bye!"_

Once the line went dead, both quickly groaned out loud. It wasn't that they didn't adore Taeyeon — who didn't love her amazing personality apart from crazy psychopaths — but these particular weeks Ara found herself immersed in marking countless papers and other school duties, meaning she couldn't see her boyfriend as much as she wanted to. Same with him; he probably saw Kim Jongdae more times than her.

Taking her out of her explosive thoughts of panic, Kyungsoo discarded her phone to the opposite side of the sofa and gripped her closer. However, once he attempted to seal the gap again, Ara pushed him away.

"Taeyeon's coming in _five_ minutes! What are you doing? She'll catch us, and do you know how embarrassing—"

"—instead of overthinking," he swiftly interrupted whilst edging closer once again to her growing anxiety. "Just shut the hell up for one minute of your life and make out with me?"

"Kyungsoo!"

"Five minutes is better than nothing," he added in a husky undertone, his hands creeping down to her hips, squeezing it lightly. "And why not spend it kissing me?"

—


	27. babysitter ༄ group dinner

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**A GROUP DINNER WAS ORGANIZED.** The group planning this ensured it would only be in the finest restaurant Seoul could offer. Thus they were all willing to fork out their well earned cash to be able to enjoy a night with one another. Due to family and work constraints, organizing a dinner that everyone could attend was extremely difficult, but today was different.

It marked four years since Juhyun's slightly disastrous yet interesting wedding, and everyone had grown and matured so much since then. Things have changed drastically between those long years.

So there Jung Ara was, nostalgically placing earrings on herself like she had done with her older sister, Lia, on the day of her graduation party. Her hair was at its usual waves, instead highlighted with a hazy gray at the tips. Adorning a monochrome dress that reached her ankles, Ara quickly stuck on a pair of black heels that made her seem less like her short self.

Things were definitely going her way. Lia, who was in Seoul yet again, had taken Kyungri out for the day. Ara couldn't ask for anything more — she loved her family, friends and job.

 _But she couldn't find her purse_.

Hobbling around the spacious house, the first time Ara had actually experienced living in such a beautifully modern place, she swore quietly to herself when it was nowhere to be found. It wasn't hard finding a glittery purse, but this certainly was a con of having so much space.

"Kyungsoo!" She screamed, her mood shifting immediately from levelheaded to almost Satan. She was never one to shout or be angry like this in general, but things were different. "Have you seen my purse?"

Hearing Ara's shouts made Do Kyungsoo practically run downstairs to see what she needed. She wasn't someone scary or anything, but it was better to be safe than sorry. "Hm? Your purse? The one on the sofa?"

Ara turned around to see the damned purse, almost combusting into flames. She lightly slapped her forehead in embarrassment. "Oh my! You hid it, didn't you?."

"I swear I didn't," he defended himself with hands up, trying not to laugh at her forgetful state.

"You did! I've been looking _everywhere_ and suddenly you come downstairs all innocent and it's on the sofa!"

Raising a brow at her outburst, Kyungsoo let out a sigh before edging closer — he then lightly grasped one of Ara's curls slipping past her shoulder and pulled it back behind her ear with the upmost gentle touch. "You should be grateful I did your hair when the hairdresser cancelled on you."

Feeling slightly overwhelmed at the pair of eyes staring at her, she felt her anger fizzle out in seconds. Also because her hair came out _really_ nice. "Hmph. I'll spare you for your actions today. But don't expect this kind of clemency next time."

"I won't, don't worry. Anyways, we should get going."

Taeyeon wasn't the best person to irritate when it came to lateness. Even though she was unfazed by practically everything, she had a peeve against people who were tardy.

Once the pair arrived at the restaurant, they were both taken aback at how esteemed it was. Dimmed, it boasted huge glass chandeliers and elaborately dressed employees. Simply _perfect_. At one of the end tables, their friends had already sat down. They joined the group, sounds of greetings and hugs filling the room as everyone was just smiling and complimenting each other's outfits for the first few minutes.

"Wow, it's been a little while," Taeyeon addressed the table giddily. As expected, time had only made her more beautiful. She had her raven black hair pulled back into a ponytail to reveal all of her pretty face. "Ara, you look so cute!"

The youngest blushed hearing Taeyeon's words. "So do you. I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair up. Looks great."

Taeyeon flicked her hair to the side. "I know. Hence why I wore it like this!"

Across the table from Ara sat Chanyeol, Sehun and Minseok, and beside her were no other but Jongdae and Kyungsoo. Taeyeon and her were the only girls since Juhyun was slightly MIA. She was back in Seoul, but wasn't really active.

"Can you guys believe my kid does my taxes?" Chanyeol piped up randomly, glasses perched on his nose. He was never really someone who wore glasses, but since becoming a father he decided they made him look more mature. Though his wide eyes would never lose their innocence. "Saves me so much time."

Surprisingly, Park Chanyeol boasted a three year old boy called Minhyung. Nobody expected him to _ever_ father children, but he did. Though he never married his girlfriend...which he continued to promise he would do as soon as possible. Knowing him, that was debatable.

"He's three," Jongdae answered incredulously.

Minseok then ruffled Chanyeol's now dark hair. "Well, his father is a genius, so are you really surprised?"

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Minseok!"

"Don't get used to it," the older sharply said, everyone dissolving into chuckles once Chanyeol's smiley faced turned sad. Ara grinned watching all of these interactions — though so much has changed, relationships certainly haven't.

Food filled the table half an hour later, everyone eagerly pulling their plates in front of them and digging in. This restaurant was renowned for its fine yet vast selection — from authentic Asian cuisine to Italian food.

"I'm so hungry," Taeyeon sighed, eating ravenously. The rest followed, but Ara was slightly apprehensive.

There was a scent from her food that made her feel quite...nauseous? The linguine in front of her would've been something she would eat in ten minutes flat, but today she wanted to throw up. Staring nervously at the dish, she didn't know where to start.

"Are you okay?" The loud sounds of eating was cut by the voice beside her. Kyungsoo was silently watching Ara not touch her food.

She sighed. "I—I don't know. I'm really hungry but the food's smell is making me feel sick."

"We can swap?"

She peered at his dinner, him sticking with the general Korean–style meal, which seemed to be the better option for her stomach. Grateful, she swapped their dishes. Taeyeon watched, curious.

"Pregnancy, hm?" She blurted out, clasping her hands to her mouth instantly when Ara started sending warning looks. She mouthed a, 'sorry' afterwards. After that, everyone's heads perked up and eyed up the girl in front of them.

"No..." Sehun gasped, his usually beady eyes widened. "You're not...seriously?!"

The miniature couple turned to each other, both blushing, and then nodding their heads in sync bashfully. The rest of the group quickly set down their utensils to revel this moment.

Chanyeol began with the congratulations. "Our small Ara is going to have a child of her own! This is bittersweet."

Whilst they all ran towards her to engulf her poor self in warm embraces, they also playfully ruffled Kyungsoo's hair that he spent ages perfecting. Once they stopped, he stared deathly at them.

"Yeah, this wasn't _really_ the way we were planning to tell you guys," Ara explained awkwardly, feeling bad for not telling them the same time as she told Taeyeon, but she wanted to be completely sure that she was pregnant. "We didn't want this dinner to be all about us."

Minseok waved a hand, shaking off her words. "There will be other dinners! This is big news, Ara, so don't feel overwhelmed."

"How far along are you?" Jongdae questioned with a mouth full of food. Typical...

"About thirteen weeks?" She turned to Kyungsoo for confirmation, and when he nodded she turned back to Jongdae. "Yeah, pretty much."

"So we'll find out the gender soon," Chanyeol replied. "If it's a boy you guys _have_ to call it Kyungsoo junior. Or I'll denounce the kid."

"I don't want him to be named after me! That's practically child abuse."

"Kyungsoo, it's an opportunity of a lifetime!"

"Why'd you call your child Minhyung then?"

Chanyeol stopped to ponder on that. "Ah...I don't know. Maybe I was drunk — I don't even remember him being delivered."

" _Anyways_ ," Minseok rolled his eyes at Chanyeol's rambling about his sad life. "We need to get drinks for this momentous occasion!"

Five minutes later and the table was welcomed with three large bottles of champagne, ready to be popped. Everyone, but sadly Ara, drank to celebrate the news — in Sehun's perspective also to get drunk. Unsurprisingly they all got tipsy very fast. Of course except Kyungsoo, who was gifted ( _yet also cursed_ ) with a sky–high tolerance to alcohol.

—

"I'm sorry that it got revealed like that."

It was way past midnight, the full moon emitting its pristine white rays onto the mildly lit streets of central Seoul that night. Everyone had retired back to their respective homes. Currently, Ara and Kyungsoo were walking side by side to his car which was parked quite far away because of the lack of parking spaces.

She looked to the side, eyeing him up, with a shrug. "No, it's okay. It would've been revealed soon enough anyways. And, to be fair, only eighty percent of the conversation was about this baby. Twenty percent less than I expected."

"That's good," he laughed, moving his hand forward to grasp her small one, interlinking their fingers together. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Great, actually. But I won't be surprised if I wake up throwing up again."

Kyungsoo shuddered a little hearing that. He wasn't the _best_ person to handle sick people, particularly if there's fluids involved. The many times Ara found herself throwing up violently was scary to say the least. "Don't worry. I'll have the bucket ready."

"You make me happy," she sarcastically responded with a tight squeeze of his hand that made him quietly wince. "My Mom's eager to come over. She's desperate to come to one of the scans."

He smiled hearing that. "Amazing. She can finally see her favorite son–in–law."

"Just because you try to win her love with cakes doesn't mean you're her _favorite_."

"Yes it does," he concluded in a quick response, pulling her once the car was in view. Ara was feeling awfully tired at that moment and wanted nothing more but to sit comfortably in the car, snoozing off.

She found herself with a myriad of emotions compared to a few months ago: the fact that her stomach was going to balloon soon was one of her biggest fears. She witnessed the formation of a baby bump — small in size yet noticeable with certain outfit choices — which was emotional to say the least. The petite, young looking Jung Ara was actually going to become a mother herself.

"Imagine if the child is a girl," Ara mumbled sleepily once her head leaned on the car window. Sitting in the car was probably the best part of the night. She was seconds till conking out.

"I don't think I can handle a Kyungri clone."

She smiled tiredly. "C'mon, she's not _that_ bad."

"Not that bad?" Kyungsoo gasped in shock, starting the car. "Last week she hid all of her food in her closet and let it rot. Do you know how long it took for me to take the smell out?"

"Wow, the end of the world. Anyways, she's a kid. What do you expect?"

Age had only made the young girl more mischievous. It was an amazing feat to get her out of her small, comfortable shell, but Kyungri believed she could achieve much more — now it was practically tortorous dealing with her. She ran amok, forever causing chaos, but was sneakily smart. Those big, curtaining eyelashes meant she could always get her own way when it came to her father.

"It was disgusting. Why do I have to deal with it?"

The snoozy girl sighed. "Because you made her."

"You should really help me bring up this child. Just like our founding fathers said, Ara, we're all in this together."

"Recalling a lyric from _High School Musical_ does not equate to what our so–called founding fathers said."

"Maybe Troy Bolton is my ultimate founding father," Kyungsoo whined before slowing down when a pedestrian crossing came into view.

Ara snorted at his stupidity, checking the time. It was almost disgustingly late. At this point she should've already had her clay face mask on, forced Kyungsoo to massage her head and eaten her light snack before bed. She groaned inwardly realizing that she was too full to even have a bite of the light snack. It was granola! _Her favorite_.

"Sometimes I wake up in the morning and just wonder. Why was I so unlucky, out of the billions of possible suitors in this planet, that I was lumbered with you?" She pondered jokily, sarcastic heavy in her tone, but Kyungsoo was too tired to detect it.

He looked crestfallen, which in turn made Ara feel extremely terrible. "Seriously?"

"No, you idiot," she scoffed, edging forward to muss up his already ruffled hair. "I'm joking. You're not that bad."

The car reversed into the driveway of the house. "I'm flattered," he muttered in monotone. "For that, I'll run you a foot bath, hm?"

"Thank you," Ara squealed, unlocking the seatbelt restricting her to seal a kiss on his cheek before getting out of the car. "I'll be upstairs waiting. I love you!"

Watching her jolly, somehow awake, figure enter the house, Do Kyungsoo couldn't stop smiling as he mouthed a silly ' _I love you too_ ', knowing she couldn't hear.

He knew then for _sure_ he was right from the second he told Ara his love for Juhyun and her would never compare.

—»


	28. babysitter ༄ motherhood anxieties

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**BEING A MOTHER WAS MUCH HARDER THAN ANTICIPATED.** To the twenty–five year old timid girl, having a baby was practically impossible. Waking up in the early hours of the morning to tend to crying, being stuck at home during maternity leave when she could be enjoying her job, and the obviously awful weight gain.

Most of her clothes stopped fitting, except the oversized ones, so Jung Ara was overcome with insecurities which stopped her leaving the house voluntarily. Everytime her friends called her to have fun and such, she would — without hesitation — decline, using the same excuse of having to tend to her kids, but it was much less simplistic than that.

"You should really go out with Taeyeon soon."

One day Kyungsoo found himself frowning at Ara's inanimate figure on the sofa, staring tiredly at the television. The now six month old baby was sleeping comfortably beside her, which took her ages to calm him down. He moved to the kitchen after spending a little while deliberating.

"She keeps begging me to convince you," he added whilst chopping vegetables at sonic speed as he prepared dinner for the family of four. Kyungri 'helped' him out — the seven year old was chewing at the chopped carrots unhelpfully.

Ara looked up before sighing. "Tell her I'm busy or something."

"But you're not!" Kyungsoo snapped. "You've been sitting there doing nothing for practically months now."

"You try giving birth to a child then tell me how it goes!"

"I don't need to give _birth_ to know how you're feeling. I know you're unhappy, but feeling sorry for yourself won't help at all. Maybe a girl's day out will relieve the stress. Organize one this Saturday when I'm off work."

"I don't know," she bit her lip, peering at her hands for a few seconds as insecurities ran through her mind. It's been ages since she's actually gone out to have fun, and she wasn't sure if she was ready. "Taeyeon would probably take one long look at me and laugh. I'm a pig!"

Leaving the kitchen, not before placing the knife high enough that Kyungri couldn't pick it up, Kyungsoo walked over to the connected living room and sat beside her on the sofa. "Is this what it is? You're feeling insecure about your looks?"

"What else, Kyungsoo?" Ara refused to look up at him, afraid to see his reaction. "I told you, I've become a distorted version of myself."

"No, you haven't — what are you talking about?"

"Look at me!" She gestured to her body, which in reality hadn't changed very much, almost bursting into tears. "I'm fat, ugly. I've gained a ton of weight that I can't seem to lose."

"You're not fat!" He exasperatingly remarked, grabbing her arms and slightly shaking it. "I know you don't believe this, but take this from me: someone who's seen you blossom everyday since Jinsoo was born. You're beautiful, okay? You've never stopped being beautiful; if anything, since giving birth, you've become only more beautiful to me. You've given me the greatest gift I could've ever asked for and still look absolutely perfect."

Ara was speechless, letting a few lone tears slip down her face. She looked up to Kyungsoo, who was finding his own eyes water, and finally gave him eye contact. "You really think so?"

"Without any doubt," he swiftly said, wiping her tears reflexively. Ara didn't say anything, the irrational thoughts still swimming in her head. But then she felt overcome with tears suddenly, resting her head on his shoulder, beginning to cry.

 _She didn't stop crying for what seemed like hours_.

—

Progress had been made. _Significantly_. From cowering herself, afraid to even peek at the mirror from the fear of what she thought she had become, Ara was ready to leave the house. Taeyeon was more than patient, understanding that it would take her young friend time to accustom to this new and scary life, making sure Ara was feeling ready to leave the house after awhile.

They kept it within their own — a simple two person dinner at a newly opened restaurant near Taeyeon's neighborhood. They would hang out, talk, enjoy each other's presence like the pair of best friends they grew to be. Although Taeyeon hadn't ever had kids herself _yet_ , she was gifted with amazing empathy so she completely understood where Ara was coming from. And when she was younger, during her vigorous university years, she actually suffered a bout of depression that made her connect even more.

With the baby sound asleep after having its evening feed, Kyungri happily sitting in the living room coloring a complex picture of a princess until her bedtime, Ara was in a comfortable situation to leave the house.

She fixed the collar of her newly bought cream attire — a demure, chiffon dress that reached her knees — since she loved pale colors unhealthily. Wearing a pair of forgotten white heels that felt like daggers everytime she walked, Ara slipped on her favorite white leather jacket also. It was an expensive garment, gifted from her very generous husband with a collection of other gifts for their first year anniversary of dating each other. She didn't get to wear it as much as she'd hoped, but it was still super precious to her.

**TAEYEON:** _I'll be at yours in ten minutes? Make sure you're dressed by then. Xx._

"So you're _finally_ leaving the house..."

The distinct, almost soothing deep tone of Do Kyungsoo's voice filled the room, initiating a quick turn around from Ara. She watched as his eyes moved up and down swiftly to examine her more confident, happier demeanor.

Her cheeks tinged with red, she shrugged. "I guess."

"I mean, that's a start," he nodded slowly as a smile fought to make an appearance. In his head he was dancing in glee, thankful that his insecure wife was finally enjoying life like she deserved to.

Ara nodded along with him, unsure on what else to say. "Yep."

The atmosphere soon turned silent as the pair looked anywhere but each other — well _Ara_ was ignoring stares from a certain someone, suddenly feeling a wave of awkwardness. She wasn't fond of when attention was on her.

"I've just put Kyungri to bed, she has an early day at the karate competition tomorrow, and I don't think Jinsoo will wake up anytime soon," Kyungsoo informed Ara, assuring her that nothing out of the blue would occur under his care. Well, she should believe it. He _did_ parent Kyungri on his own alongside Juhyun years ago.

"Yeah, that's good. I'll leave in the next ten minutes anyways. I won't be long, though. Someone has to make Kyungri's lunch."

He sighed. "Leave it to me. Come as late as you wish. We're a tag team, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ara waved off his words with a shaky hand gesture. "Taeyeon's probably waiting for me."

Raising one brow, Kyungsoo edged forward. "Why are you so nervous?"

"I—I just don't want to fall back into that cycle again," she admitted, biting her lip so hard that she could swear that there was a tinge of blood in her mouth. "Don't get me wrong. It feels so _great_ to finally leave the house. But what if I can't ever do this again? What if we have more kids? Could I ever cope?"

Without word, he closed the gap between them by closing his hands around her forearm, successfully silencing her. "Why are you thinking so far ahead in our future? Think about _now_ : you're about to have a great time with Taeyeon, the children are sound asleep. There's nothing to worry about."

"I don't know why I do that," Ara let out a defeated exhale, encircling her arms around Kyungsoo in exasperation before resting her head on his shoulder. As if it was a reflex, he already reciprocated with his arms tightly around her waist. "I just have to get used to being a mother now, hm?"

"Yes. But it doesn't have to be as bad as you think," he left a chaste kiss on the material of her shoulder, softly stroking a finger against her waist as she leaned closer. "I thought being a father would be hell. It _was_ , but there were amazing moments that I wouldn't ever give up if I had the chance."

"Like what?"

He pulled back to examine Ara's curious face, their noses practically millimetres apart. "Sitting down every evening and helping her with simple math equations, putting her hair in pigtails in the morning how she likes, taking her out to the park and watching her fawn over pretty butterflies or excitedly blow bubbles. Watching her grow up."

Letting him lightly kiss her, she smiled. "That's so cute. I can't wait for us to finally have our own story together."

Unable to resist kissing her yet again, Kyungsoo did so. And again. "Chapter one. Ara leaves the house with Taeyeon, has the best time of her life, comes home and thanks her smug husband gratefully for his role in helping her."

"You wish," Ara scoffed. "I did this all on my own. Just like I coordinated this outfit. Do you like it?"

"Yeah, I especially love the jacket _I_ bought you with my advanced fashion sense."

"Cut the crap, Kyungsoo. Your fashion style is trash, who helped you find this beautiful item of clothing?"

For a couple seconds he stayed mute until Ara's stare became burning he confessed. "Chanyeol might've helped me."

"I knew it," she cheered victoriously at his easy succumb, hugging him afterwards. "Thanks for everything. Giving up your evening to look after the two, I'm really thankful."

"They're my kids too..."

"But it's your evening!"

"You've been spending _your_ evenings everyday for the past six months looking after the children," he retorted with a grab of her small hands. "One day is nothing compared to six months."

Before Ara could let him kiss her again, her phone rang. She picked it up to see Taeyeon's caller ID — a photo of the pair hugging each other excessively close and posing at the camera. "Hey!"

_"I'm coming up to your house now, just so you know."_

Indeed she was. A minute later the doorbell rang to reveal the hyper girl posing extravagantly at the door. "I'm here!" She enveloped Ara in a secure hug, almost painfully rubbing her back. "You look cute."

However nobody could beat Taeyeon's cuteness. Her fringe and black hair made her look like a teenager, but it couldn't account for her elegant and sophisticated oufit that definitely revealed the woman in her. Ara was always jealous of Taeyeon's pretty body; even though they were the same height, the former had long and slender legs that made her look taller.

The older reached to also hug her old friend, ruffling his hair. "You keeping care of Ara?"

"As always."

"Good," Taeyeon turned back to Ara. "You ready to party? Dance the night away, drink until our senses are inhibited?"

She cringed. "I've got kids, Taeyeon!"

"You can forget they exist once in your life," Taeyeon then gestured to the chuckling Kyungsoo. "You've got him to look after them."

"Ugh, let's just go before I change my mind."

Throwing Ara her purse before her naive self forgot, Kyungsoo kissed her forehead before patting her shoulder. "Have fun and don't stress."

Taeyeon gave the pair a roll of her eyeshadow covered eyes before pulling Ara's arm out of the house. Whilst being dragged by the impatient best friend of hers, she blew a kiss to her very sweet and caring husband. "I love you!"

And there she was. _Living life again as she should._

—»


	29. babysitter ༄ ten years later

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****  
**"KYUNGRI, GET READY FOR SCHOOL!"**

The once small girl, symbolized by her soft raven colored hair placed in bunches, lay tiredly on her bed before checking her phone. _Monday_. She _hated_ Monday. Namely because her lessons were math, physics, chemistry...does she need to explain more? Sighing, she pulled the mane of messy hair into a ponytail and began the strenuous, tiring process of getting ready for school.

After her perfectly ironed uniform hanging from her closet was worn, Kyungri quickly brushed out the tangles of her long hair — currently reaching her waist — and tiredly secured it into a bun. She really couldn't be bothered to style it properly this Monday.

"C'mon, only seven hours until school ends," Kyungri whispered as she packed the last missing bits and pieces into her school bag. "Just seven hours..."

The clock struck seven–thirty, meaning she had a half hour to eat her breakfast and get to school if she didn't want to be late. Kyungri immediately dragged her school bag downstairs and saw two familiar faces eating breakfast around the kitchen table.

"Good morning," her father, the busy and equally exhausted Do Kyungsoo, chorused. He gave her a sweet grin, everyday his eyes sparkling as he watched his daughter grow older, wiser and more beautiful day by day. Setting her bag next to the usual chair that she occupied every morning, she wrapped her arms around her Dad.

"Morning," she replied before edging towards the other side to hug the next person.

"Did you have a nice sleep?" Still as radiant and innocent as she was a decade ago, Jung Ara demurely ate her breakfast — a slice of toast with some strawberry jelly spread on top — and looked up at Kyungri.

"Kinda," she replied with a cough, pouring herself some cereal and beginning to eat it. The atmosphere quickly turned silent as the three finished their breakfasts before Kyungsoo was the first to rise from the table. Kyungri quickly followed whilst picking up her bag and checking the time.

Ara cleared the table. "Kyungri, don't forget to tell your brother to leave his room! We should be going now."

"Got it," she grumbled, padding towards her younger brother's bedroom and opening it to see him looking over some last minute notes on his bed. He shifted the glasses perched on his nose before eyeing up his older sister.

"You should knock before entering."

Kyungri scoffed. "Mom said we're going now. Anyways, you're seven! You don't need to study this hard for a pop quiz, Jin."

Do Jinsoo, the math prodigy currently frowning at his older sister, reached for the school bag brimming with excess exam preparation notes. "Whatever. Let's go."

She watched Jinsoo leave the bedroom in front of her as she ruffled his soft hair, following to see her parents speak lovingly to each other in the kitchen. They cut their conversation, seeing their two kids approach them.

"Shall we go?" Ara rattled her car keys.

"Yep. I hope you remembered to pack my banana this time, Mom!" Jinsoo huffed.

"It was _one_ time!"

"I'm going to leave now," Kyungsoo announced, hugging his two children and swiftly leaving Ara with a kiss. "Bye!"

Once he left, the door knocked straight after to reveal Park Chanyeol and his one child, Minhyung. The eleven year old was blessed with Chanyeol's big, twinkly eyes and a bright smile.

"My babysitter wasn't able to come today," Chanyeol hurriedly explained once the pair entered the house. "Is it okay if Minhyung leaves with you guys?"

"More than okay," Ara responded happily as she grabbed her jacket. "Go to work now! You're going to be late."

At this point Minhyung was spitting out rapid physics questions to test Jinsoo, the older also inheriting Chanyeol's vast brain power. Kyungri was slightly concerned as to why Jinsoo was such a genius and she was awfully average.

As the four were on their way to school in Ara's car, ten minutes left until the bell rung, Ara patted Kyungri's knee once the latter began daydreaming. "So after school your mother's coming to pick you up, alright?"

Kyungri nodded. "She promised to take me to that new sushi place downtown. I'm pretty excited!"

"How's you two anyways?"

"Good, I guess. But it'll never be like us two, you know?"

Juhyun and Kyungri's relationship was a weird one. From seeing each other every other week without fail whilst Kyungsoo was still single, Juhyun disappeared to London for a year and returned before disappearing _again_. She relocated to Singapore after her law firm moved their main office and stayed there for six years. Now she was back, but it wasn't the same. _Definitely not_.

"She's still your Mom, Kyungri," Ara pursed her lips, feeling slightly uneasy when Kyungri compared their relationships. "She's trying her best."

"Fair enough, but it's just my personal conviction. She wasn't here during the vital parts of my childhood because her job was more of an importance, but it's okay. Since her blood is pumping around my body I should respect her just as much as you."

Rolling her eyes at Kyungri's stubborness, Ara parked the car at the school ground and unlocked the door. "She loves you, and wished things could be different. She can't change the past, and I know it wasn't _perfect_ , but you could try and make as much of an effort she is."

"Whatever. Bye bye," Kyungri gave Ara a quick hug, running into the school once seeing her friends huddled near the big building. Minhyung left also, leaving Jinsoo and Ara in the car so she could drive him to _his_ school.

"Why does Kyungri hate her Mom so much?" Jinsoo, the attentive son, whos awareness was a blessing and a curse, mused.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop."

"I wasn't. You guys weren't discreet enough."

"Let's make it clear," Ara began as the car edged back into the main road to Jinsoo's school situated a few minutes away from Kyungri's. "She doesn't hate her Mom, not at all, just some differences. Give her a break. She's fourteen. She's going through a lot of physical and mental changes."

"Mom, you'd never leave me, right?"

Seeing her son's slightly distressed yet innocent face pained her. These things shouldn't be running through his head at such a vulnerable age. "Of course not! I love you and always will. Juhyun didn't _leave_ Kyungri. She knew her daughter would be in safe hands with her father and I."

"Alright," Jinsoo finally accepted, getting out of the car when his school came into view. "I love you, Mom, bye!"

"Love you too! Good luck on your test."

—

It was practically in Im Juhyun's genes to never age and stay as perfect as she was, even if she was nearing thirty seven years of age. Her long, dark hair blew in the wind whilst she ran out of her car, eager to get to Kyungri's school on time since she didn't want to disappoint her daughter.

 _Even if her daughter was already disappointed_.

Juhyun was naive, slightly idiotic and stubborn, yes, but she wasn't stupid. For the past decade, she felt inferior. From the second Jung Ara arrived, smiley, welcoming and loving, Juhyun already _knew_ she would come second place. She accepted losing Kyungsoo — their relationship became slowly unhealthy and unhappy by the second — but her own daughter was doubting their relationship.

It was the little things. Messaging Ara to tell her what time they'd be coming back when Juhyun took her out, the small comments about when Ara made her particularly happy, the comparisons...But Juhyun was determined to prove to Kyungri that even though she wasn't always physically there, she was still her mother.

At home, Ara was biting her lip. Jinsoo was in his room studying for yet another pop quiz. This time it was English Literature, one of his weak spots. Therefore he refused to leave his bedroom until he felt confident he would get full marks. Or if he fell asleep; he wasn't really picky on that.

She sat in the living room just thinking. At work, it was the same thing. Watching all of her young, adorable children who loved her to bits. It just reminded her of the once small Kyungri who'd, although quiet, clung onto Ara from the very beginning.

The front door opened revealing a worn out Kyungsoo as he closed it behind him and gave Ara a shy grin.

"Hey," he breathed once throwing his jacket onto the side of the sofa, as per usual. Once he realized she wasn't quite reciprocating the welcoming smile, he frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." she trailed off, sighing. "It's just, I don't want Juhyun to hate me."

He sat beside her on the sofa before scoffing. "I literally just thought we were transported to a decade ago. She doesn't hate you, of course not. What's made you think that?"

"I'm stealing her daughter from her."

Kyungsoo almost choked. "Wait, w—what?"

"This morning, I—I was driving Kyungri to school and she was explaining that she didn't really see Juhyun as a mother figure in comparison to me and, I don't know, it makes me feel odd."

"What do you expect? You've been parenting her for most of her life."

"But she's not _my_ child," she whispered in worry and sadness. "She's Juhyun's. All I've ever done for her was take her to school, give her lunch, wish her a good night."

Kyungsoo let out a loud exhale, his thoughts somewhat conflicted. He obviously knew where Ara was coming from but she was deeply mistaken. Taking her small, shaking hands, he stared right into her eyes. "And everything in between. Motherhood is much _more_ than just genetics, Ara. You've been there for her since she was a child, so don't overthink this. Juhyun understands and trust me, the person she wouldn't hate is you."

"Then who?"

He pursed his lips. "Herself, probably."

When Kyungri arrived back home at eight sharp, she saw her parents sitting comfortably in each other's close presence watching a movie together.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad!" She waved before edging out of the living room to her own discretion in her bedroom. Little did she reveal was Juhyun was behind, entering the house also.

"Is this a bad time?" She furrowed her brows, not wanting to impose on their cozy time. Ara immediately shook her head, unlatching herself from Kyungsoo and giving Juhyun a hug. It's been probably a month or so since the three were together, but Juhyun was still an important figure in their lives.

She sat across the pair on the sofa. "I took Kyungri out to some new place. She loved it."

"I know," Ara softly smiled. "She was talking about it on the way to school. She really does value your trips together."

"And I do too," Juhyun agreed before her reminiscent beam downturned to a scowl. "But, actually today, she admitted that she was torn when I left. Which didn't occur to me at all, and also makes me feel so _useless_."

Ara couldn't hide the wash of shock that slipped a gasp out of her mouth. Kyungri brought this up to Juhyun...no way.

Juhyun paused — either to take a breather or wipe the tears formulating on the rim of her eyes. "As a mother, I should've been there for her, you know? Instead I chose my own selfish, greedy ambitions over her childhood. And I've never felt so terrible in my life. I'm not her Mom. I'm just a _name_ on her birth certificate."

"That's not true," Kyungsoo opposed strictly.

"She doesn't even call me Mom!"

"That's only because you've been in and out of her life. She's bound to be confused. Sure you haven't always been there for her until recently, doesn't mean you aren't a huge part of who she is."

Ara agreed. "She's her because of _you_."

Juhyun sniffled as the tears threatening to fall finally dropped, slipping down her pristine face slowly. "I invited her out today to tell her my plans. I got a job out in China, where my law firm's given me a really generous position as managing director. It's permanent, and before meeting up with Kyungri, I was really about to take it. Then afterwards I realized I was about to make the same mistake."

She quietened, sniffed again, then continued. "Coming over here I was ready to decline this offer, stay in Seoul with my loved ones. But seeing you two, especially you, Ara, realizing how much you've taken in Kyungri as your own and making her such an intelligent, smart girl, it dawned on me that she would be just fine. I haven't done enough, I know, but there's nothing more for me to do. You've done _everything_. So thank you."

Jung Ara herself was overcome with emotions hearing that. All the doubts flooding her mind from this morning ebbed away as she pulled Juhyun into an emotional hug. It was definitely times like this where she really valued the people around her the most.

Im Juhyun left the home that night with a new mission to overcome, a new country to adjust to and a new problem she's just solved.

—

The time was past midnight. Everyone in the house was asleep, exhausted from the long day of school and work, except Ara. Standing at the landing of the home — bought approximately eight years ago in response to the news that Ara was actually expecting — where all the photos and memorabilia hung, she smiled.

The first photo that struck her was of Ara, Kyungsoo and Kyungri. The latter was a mute yet mischevious four year old, exploring the world in her own way. The pair had just cemented their relationship with a first date yet Kyungsoo was lumbered with his daughter once he was unable to find a babysitter on time.

The second photo was dated from nine years ago. _Their wedding day_. The pair couldn't be happier, surrounded by their loved ones, friends and family, celebrating their joy. It was surprising how early they'd married from when they begun dating. Two years, actually. When Kyungsoo had proposed, it was very surprising for Ara — being in her early twenties at the time — but he explained he wasn't getting any younger and knew he definitely wanted not to marry anyone but her. So why wait?

The third photo was seven years ago. A special photo from the day Do Jinsoo, the couple's first child together, was born. He was slightly premature, proven by his small self lying comfortably in Ara's arms, but was adorable nonetheless. She wouldn't ever forget the moments when all of their close friends and family flooded the delivery room, surrounding the small baby and her until she was positively overwhelmed.

"You know you've got work tomorrow."

The familiar deep mellow voice caused Ara to quickly turn around, smiling sheepishly at the male in front of her.

"I know," she answered casually, yawning a little once realizing how late it actually was. "But let me reminicise in peace!"

"It'd be more peaceful knowing you're actually asleep so you don't wake up tomorrow all grumpy," Kyungsoo frowned slightly, not really annoyed at all, just a little sleepy. He overheard his wife padding quietly through the landing, wondering why the side of his bed was awfully empty. Hugging his pillow wasn't as comforting.

"How did time just zoom so fast?" She suddenly whispered, biting her lip. "One second you were begging me to babysit your toddler and the next second we're raising two kids!"

He smiled to himself before slightly pulling Ara closer to him. "Hm...yeah. It's been an...eventful decade. But I cherish every single day."

"Me too," she immediately responded, hugging him. "Things have finally stabilized. Taeyeon's actually found a guy that could keep up with her. Chanyeol's a father. Sehun's no longer a slob. Time's definitely the biggest miracle."

He chuckled as quietly as he could, hoping not to wake his two children. Once they woke up, it was a task and a half to make them sleep again, having inherited his nocturnal traits. "Have you finally accepted your position as a mother? Or is there further persuasion needed?"

Ara tilted her head. "Yeah, I think I've been persuaded enough. Juhyun's great. Out of everyone throughout the decade, she's definitely changed the most. For the better, obviously."

"It only took another divorce for her real personality to shine. Nothing big."

Ara laughed then yawned. Her tiredness was really getting to her now. With droopy eyes, she yawned yet again. "I'm a little tired now. I should really sleep so work doesn't feel like a drag."

As she was walking back to the inviting bedroom consisting of the comfy, warm bed that she could sleep in, the equally snoozy Kyungsoo wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Thank you for making this decade so great, for providing me with a true, happy family and being a perfect fit for me," he left a peck on her exposed neck, moving closer. "Thank you for making this all worthwhile."

Jung Ara was busy melting and in a frenzy of grins, playfully trying to push him away. "You're always a little _too_ close for comfort at this time of the night."

He ignored her words, peppering more soft kisses at the site, holding her tightly. "You just make it hard to control myself."

"If it continues like this, we're not going to sleep," she half heartedly whined, not exactly rejecting his ministrations. She turned around to meet his awaiting lips latching onto hers swiftly, Ara suddenly not caring about her early day tomorrow.

"Can you guys just cut it?" Do Kyungri, annoyed and very tired, stepped out of her bedroom at the commotion. "I've got a full day of school tomorrow and I do _not_ want to be hearing _this_."

That must've caused a chain reaction as seconds later, Jinsoo emerged from his bedroom looking slightly giddy. "So _this_ is how we were made!"

**_END_ **

—»

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! i literally published, like, 20 chapters in one go! this was originally posted on my wattpad account @/01SEULGI, so if you have a wattpad account and want access to other works i've published, pls check me out there! thank you so much for supporting my AO3 journey (which is ongoing, aha) and i'm so grateful for you even just being here and giving my works the time of day :D. if you enjoyed this, let me know what you thought in the comments! i really appreciate every comment and kudos. <33333


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